June 2019 by Jewish Rhode Island

The Voice of Greater Rhode Islandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Jewish Community

JEWISH

JUNE 2019 | SIVAN 5779

JEWISHRHODY.ORG

R H O DE I S L A ND

Bagel boom? You betcha! Where to find them and lots more about food Rabbi Wayne Franklin reflects on 3 decades at Temple Emanu-El

Naomi Nachman dishes on food with Patricia Raskin

Mike Fink offers his insights on Providence, RISD

Building our future; honoring our past Jewish Rhode Island is the only source for Jewish community news in Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts. To continue to provide a vibrant window in everything Jewish in our area, we need your help. Our annual Patron Campaign is now underway. Your donation, large or small, helps us bring you our monthly publication, newsletter and our website.

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Both sides of the story W HY DO WE present many points of view in a Jewish newspaper? How can we be pro-Israel when we discuss BDS in a positive light? On the opinion pages in the last two newspapers, Jewish Rhode Island printed two very different opinions on the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement and the referendum calling for Brown University to divest its interests in Israel. In April, we ran an op-ed explaining the down-side of the Brown Divest movement. In May, two Jewish Brown Divest organizers explained their opinions. BDS is a contentious subject in our Rhode Island community – and in the greater Jewish community as well. As you can imagine, we have received many responses to last month’s op-ed written by the Brown students. Most of them take the students to task for their viewpoints. You can read some of the responses in this month’s opinion pages. Other writers did not want their letters published. The responses were from across the community. Some called us courageous for publishing the op-eds. As the “Voice of Greater Rhode Island’s Jewish Community,” we have an obligation to present both sides of this story no matter what the response. There are those who were horrified by our choice to run the pro-BDS piece. Some asked to be deleted from our subscription list. While that saddens me more than I can tell you, I think that we all deserve a seat at the discussion table. Young and old, liberal and conservative, we are Jews who care about the future of our people

As the ‘Voice of Greater Rhode Island’s Jewish Community,’ we have an obligation to present both sides of this story no matter what the response.

and of Israel. I have met very few among us who do not advocate for a strong, vibrant, healthy State of Israel. Beyond that, we often differ. And that’s where this newspaper can help give voice to the wide variety of viewpoints in our community. In this period when the media is on trial at every turn, I’m proud to be leading a media outlet that tries to tell both sides, supports its community and does so without taking sides. You’ll find more truth and more passion about our community here than you ever will in your Facebook or Twitter feeds. As media layoffs continue around the country, and the number of working journalists in the United States drops to less than half of the 55,000 who were in its ranks in 2008, our community needs to support this paper and other media outlets to help maintain the diversity of opinion that makes our communities stronger and healthier. Without your support, this voice, too, could be reduced – or disappear altogether. This is the final month of our annual fundraising effort for Jewish Rhode Island. We hope you will consider making a donation.

Fran Ostendorf, Editor

JEWISH R H OD E I S L AN D

EDITOR Fran Ostendorf DESIGN & LAYOUT Leah Camara ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT Chris Westerkamp | cwesterkamp@jewishallianceri.org | 401-421-4111, ext. 160 Karen Borger | ksborger@ gmail.com | 401-529-2538 CONTRIBUTORS Cynthia Benjamin, Larry Kessler, Michael Schemaille COLUMNISTS Michael Fink, Geraldine Foster, Patricia Raskin, Rabbi James Rosenberg, Daniel Stieglitz

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VOLUME XXVI, ISSUE VI JEWISH RHODE ISLAND (ISSN number 1539-2104, USPS #465-710) is published monthly. PERIODICALS Postage paid at Providence, R.I. POSTMASTER Send address changes to: Jewish Rhode Island, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence, RI 02906. PUBLISHER The Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island, President/CEO Adam Greenman, Chair Mitzi Berkelhammer, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence, RI 02906. 401-421-4111; Fax 401-331-7961

MEMBER of the Rhode Island Press Association and the American Jewish Press Association

COPY DEADLINES: All news releases, photographs, etc., must be received on the Wednesday 10 days prior to publication. Submissions may be sent to: editor@ jewishallianceri.org. ADVERTISING: We do not accept advertisements for pork or shellfish. We do not attest to the kashrut of any product or the legitimacy of advertisers’ claims.

PHOTO | SBHEC

Barbara Wahlberg received last year’s Volunteer of the Year award.

Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center sets annual meeting The Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center will hold its 2019 annual meeting on Wednesday, June 19, in the Baxt Social Hall at the Dwares Jewish Community Center at 7 p.m. Aaron Guttin, J-Camp and Teen director at the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island, will speak about his experiences at this year’s March of the Living. Also, the SBHEC will review its 2018 accomplishments, present the Volunteer of the Year award, install a new slate of officers, and provide a vision for the future of Holocaust education in Rhode Island. The meeting is open to the public. The Dwares JCC is at 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence.

ON THE COVER: A variety of bagels available at Bagel Express on Broadway in Providencee. PHOTO | GLEN OSMUNDSON

THE MISSION OF JEWISH RHODE ISLAND is to communicate Jewish news, ideas and ideals by connecting and giving voice to the diverse views of the Jewish community in Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts, while adhering to Jewish values and the professional standards of journalism. ALL SUBMITTED CONTENT becomes the property of Jewish Rhode Island. Announcements and opinions contained in these pages are published as a service to the community and do not necessarily represent the views of Jewish Rhode Island or its publisher, the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island. We reserve the right to refuse publication and edit submitted content.

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Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

UP FRONT Q. Do you think it’s something about the community valuing stability? A. Absolutely. Q. If you had to make a short list of the things that you were proudest about that were accomplished while you were here, what would be on your list? A. The first thing was incorporating women into full participation in services, counting in the minyan, having aliyot, leading services. It didn’t all happen at once, but women’s aliyot came immediately, basically. I gave a d’var Torah the first summer about the passage of Zelophehad’s five daughters, who asked Moses if they could inherit their father’s estate since they had no brothers. Moses talks with God and comes back and said, “Yes, you can inherit, just marry within the tribe.” I went from there on to talking about women’s rights, women’s equality. I knew from the interview process that a lot of women were waiting for it. I said it was the direction we should move in. The president, Don Robbins, and I decided to begin calling up women on Rosh Hashanah, start the new year on a new foot. We agreed also that we should bring the decision to the board of directors at the first meeting of the board after I came. Support was unanimous, except for one woman. On Rosh Hashanah, we had women coming up for aliyot and they were thrilled. It took a while longer for participants in the daily minyan to accept women counting among the 10.

Rabbi Wayne Franklin

PHOTO | GLENN OSMUNDSON

Retiring Rabbi Wayne Franklin on community, Temple EmanuEl and evolving Judaism BY NOEL RUBINTON

T THE END OF JUNE, Rabbi Wayne M. Franklin will retire after serving for 38 years as the senior rabbi of Temple Emanu-El, in Providence. Here are highlights from a recent conversation with him.

Q. When you started in Providence, did you have any idea that you would serve as rabbi for this long? A. No, I had no idea. I hoped that it would be a long-term relationship because I saw a fine congregation, with so much potential for the future. Q. Temple Emanu-El is a congregation

that’s not quite 100 years old, and you’ve been the rabbi for nearly 40% of that time. Why do you think your time has been so long? A. I was young when I came, and I’ve been blessed with reasonably good health and I’ve enjoyed my work, so I’ve stayed as long as I’ve stayed.

Q. What else is on your list? A. The changes that we made incorporating interfaith families in the congregation, where we have been more welcoming. We used to publish a monthly bulletin, and we said, “mazal tov” on weddings. But we wouldn’t say “mazal tov” to intermarried couples, and parents of those couples were offended. I also remember a woman who was a very active member of the congregation. Her first husband had died. Her second husband was not Jewish, a practicing Catholic. She was a leader in social action and felt she was entitled to be on the board of directors for all of her years of service to the congregation. There was strong resistance, so we put together a committee that met for over a year. The Conservative movement at that time was not very welcoming of interfaith couples, which I thought was deleterious. We decided to change policies after extensive discussion and reviewing of background materials – we went ahead of the movement. One of the other practices I was already doing quietly was welcoming the non-Jewish parent to be on the bimah with the Jewish parent when coming up to the Torah for their children’s Bar/Bat Mitzvahs. We’ve moved beyond that, allowing non-Jewish family members to be involved in other ways. Also, we purchased land at Swan Point Cemetery, the impetus being to offer burial plots for couples who are intermarried. This could not be done at Lincoln Park. All the graves in our first section sold out, which led us last year to make an arrangement for another section. What else? Obviously, the interfaith work that I’ve been able to do here, which has been supported by the congregation. One of the other things that I’m proud of is that when I arrived there was no program for converts. People were knocking on the door virtually from the day I arrived. I first started trying to teach people individually, but I realized quickly I didn’t have the time. We organized a class to do this collectively with several colleagues, and I hope this program will continue. I’m also proud of the Yom ha-Shoah program that I started with a Presbyterian minister, and it continues after 35 years. We’ve been able to find new directions each year and keep it fresh and meaningful. Given the climate that we live in, it’s even more important now. Q. Something you’re not mentioning as one of your accomplishments has been your close connection to people, especially in times of need. A. You have to be with people. The way I was able to meet CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

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We are all very important people

D’ V

we are counted on and singled out to do our job. We are all here to do the work of our Creator. We know what that work is since the Torah lists the mitzvot loud and clear. This unification of purpose is what makes us an eida. To be sure, everyone wants to feel important. We each want to be recognized for something. We all want our eulogies to be positive and true. What Rabbi Hirsch is teaching us is that we are all very important people and that we must behave accordingly. None of us should ever feel the need to say, “I could have been a RABBI RICHARD contender,” because we are each PERLMAN important, and we each count. This week’s parashah wants us all to know that we should never, ever let anyone convince us otherwise. In today’s world of instant news, we see all kinds of people doing all kinds of things in every news cycle. Compare that with what you and I do. We are doing important things too, but we are not in the news. We have all accomplished many important things in our lives, and many of those things may impact someone much more than anything those people in the news are doing. What could be more important than touching the hand of a friend or loved one who is ill? What is more important than saying something encouraging to a friend or loved one who is depressed? What is more important than going out of our way to say Kaddish for a yahrtzeit or making a misheberakh for the sick? What is more important than giving tzedakah to help fight disease, to help the poor eat and get clothing, to help schools teach, to help Israel survive, to help our synagogues continue to serve? Doing these things is at the heart of being Jewish. As an eida, we lead the world in giving tzedakah. As the small minority that we are in the world, in many ways we have added more to the

TO R A

FIFTY YEARS AGO, in 1969, I became a Bar Mitzvah at Temple Emanu-El, in Providence. Rabbi Eli Bohnen, Rabbi Joel Zaman and my dad, Cantor Ivan Perlman, officiated at my simcha on Shabbat parashat Bamidbar. I will never forget that day, and I will always be grateful to my amazing community and teachers. In Bamidbar, Chapter 1, Verse 2, we read, “Take a census of the entire assembly of B’nai Yisrael ....” Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch comments that the Jewish people are referred to as an eida, an assembly – a people unified by a common purpose. It was important that the people who share this common purpose be counted one by one. On May 17, 1969, I was counted. And today, I continue to honor our teachers and those who lived before us as I have chosen to serve, to count, as I serve our Lord and his community. But back to the parashah. Why a census? This accounting of the members of B’nai Yisrael who make up this eida, this assembly, accomplishes very important things. On the one hand, we instill the value of everyone on a nation. It reminds our leaders that the Jewish nation is not simply a blob or an impersonal mass, but rather it is critical to understanding that Am Yisroel Chi, this living People of Israel, is made up of distinct individuals; individuals who each count and who are each important in their own right. Each person must take note of every loss or gain. When one is ill or dies, the entire nation is diminished and should mourn. When one is born, the entire nation is strengthened and should rejoice. On the other hand, we must understand the awesome responsibility everyone has to the rest of B’nai Yisrael. We must accept our responsibility and the critical role that we each play as members of this special eida. We should never consider ourselves as part of a mob. Each one of us is entrusted with an important role, and

NEWS

lives of the people on this planet than significantly larger groups. We do this because we know we are counted on to be responsible individuals. We Jews are measured in a unique way. Last month in Israel, members of Hamas were once again portrayed as innocent angels as they shot hundreds of missiles into Israel. And what happened when Israel exercised its right to protect its citizens? Once again, Israel was portrayed as the devil for defending itself. Yes, Jews are expected to do great things and to act a certain way – but then we are punished when we do. As this week’s Torah reading teaches, each Jew is an important representative of our great people. We are the people who gave the world the notion of freedom; that all people are created equal; that each person is responsible for another. We are the set of individuals who first believed in one God. We are the individuals who were given the greatest gift the world has ever received, the gift of Torah. My personal prayer is that all people can see us as the people we intend to be, a good loving people. This is what my teachers taught me when I was learning to become a member of the counted generations as a Bar Mitzvah. These are the teachings we continue to pass along to new generations. Most of us are kind people, the kind of Jews who can and should hold our heads high and be proud to be counted. I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that most of us are always ready, willing and able to be counted on to do what Jews are supposed to do. For that, I want to wish each of you a very sincere yasher koach (good job); great strength and good health; and continued progress in doing what is just and right for all our people and for our beloved community. RICHARD PERLMAN is the senior rabbi at Temple Ner Tamid, in Peabody, Massachusetts, a mashgiach representative at The Phyllis Siperstein Tamarisk Assisted Living Residence, in Warwick, and a member of the Board of Rabbis of Greater Rhode Island.

Cranston Seniors set activities On June 20, the Cranston Senior Guild will get together at Hibachi Grill, 1245 Bald Hill Road, Warwick for a “Dutch treat” lunch at noon. The buffet is $8.99 which does not include a beverage. There is a 10% discount for seniors. You may bring a friend. On July 24, a bus trip to Foxwoods is planned. The cost is $27 per person, including roundtrip deluxe motor coach bus, free buffet or $10 food coupon to any restaurant at the casino, and $10 bonus slot play. The bus picks up at 9:15 a.m. at Rhode Island Mall near Burlington Coat Factory. The bus departs Foxwoods at 3:15 p.m. Payment must be received by July 6. Make checks payable to Cranston Senior Guild. For more information, call Sunny at 401785-0748.

Candle lighting times

in Greater Rhode Island June June June June June June

7 | 8:00 p.m. 8 Shavu’ot | 9:11 p.m. 9 Shavu’ot | 9:11 p.m. 14 | 8:03 p.m. 21 | 8:06 p.m. 28 | 8:06 p.m.

Sinai goes to one-day-a-week religious school in the fall of 2019 CRANSTON – On May 12, Temple Sinai announced that its religious and Hebrew school programs will be combined next year into a single, one-day-a-week program. The new Jewish education program at the Reform congregation will meet on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. starting in September of 2019. The decision was made by Sinai’s Board of Trustees after a long process of consultation with families of children in the religious school. For

more than a decade, Temple Sinai’s religious school has met on Sunday mornings and the Hebrew school has met on Tuesday afternoons. Rabbi Jeffrey Goldwasser of Temple Sinai says that the change comes in response to several factors, including the fact that many families find that it is increasingly difficult to bring their children to the Temple on weekday afternoons, given the realities of work schedules and children’s commitments to afternoon activities.

“We are proud of the families that choose to prioritize their children’s Jewish education in a world that is increasingly demanding of the time of parents and children alike,” says Goldwasser. “We are responding to that choice by making it as easy as possible for families to enroll in our religious school.” In addition to the changes in meeting times, Temple Sinai will make more Hebrew learning material available on its website, www.templesinairi.org, allowing stu-

dents to learn at home. The Sunday program will include a snack time for students between Judaica and Hebrew studies. Tuition for religious education will be reduced next year to reflect the reduced time of instruction. The school fees will be $399 for religious studies and $399 for Hebrew studies. As in the past, there will be no charge for kindergarten. The pre-confirmation program for 8th and 9th graders, and the Confirmation pro-

gram for 10th to 12th graders will remain unchanged, meeting on selected Sunday mornings. The confirmation program, taught by Rabbi Goldwasser, includes several field trips and a weekend in Washington, D.C. FOR QUESTIONS or concerns about Temple Sinai’s religious school program for next year, contact Susan Oclassen, susanoclassen@ yahoo.com.

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UP FRONT | CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS FOR COMPLETE MONTHLY LISTINGS, VISIT JEWISHRHODY.ORG

Ongoing

Alliance Kosher Senior Café. Kosher lunch, program weekdays. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Noon lunch; 1 p.m. program. Information or RSVP, 401421-4111, ext. 107. West Bay Kosher Senior Café. Kosher lunch, program Fridays. Temple Sinai, 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston. 11:15 a.m. program; noon lunch. Information or RSVP, 401-421-4111, ext. 107. Duplicate Bridge.Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Mondays noon-2 p.m.: 0-20 masterpoint game for less-experienced players. $5. Tuesdays and Fridays 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m.: open stratified game, all levels. $7. Thursdays 1:30-3:30 p.m.: Guided play. $6. Information, abarton295@ aol.com or 401-390-9244. Partners in Torah Night. Sundays 7:45-8:45 p.m. Thru 6/23. Lunchroom of Providence Hebrew Day School, 450 Elmgrove Ave. (use Savoy St. entrance), Providence. Informal, partner-based Torah study. For Jewish adults. No background in Torah study required. Free. Info or for a “study-buddy,” nkarp@projectshoresh.com or rnoachkarp@gmail.com. Game Night: Mah Jongg. Wednesdays 6-8 p.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Lessons available. Free. Information, Torat Yisrael office at 401-8856600. Mussar Living with Rabbi Gavi Ruit. Wednesdays 7-8:30 p.m. Thru 8/14. Temple Beth-El, 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. Mussar sages believed that in order to achieve greater Shalom (peace) in life we must strive for greater Sh’lemut (wholeness). TBE members: $100 Non-members: $125. Information, Jenn Thomas at jthomas@temple-beth-el.org or 401-331-6070. Children’s Shabbat Programs and Kiddush. Shabbat mornings 10-11:30 a.m. Congregation Beth Sholom, 275 Camp St., Providence. Ages 2 to 12. Free. Information, office@bethsholom-ri.org.

Sunday | June 9

Shavuot/Yizkor Service. 9 a.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Information, stephanie@toratyisrael.org or 401885-6600.

Monday | June 10

Shavuot Seudah. Noon. Congregation Ohawe Sholam, 671 East Ave., Pawtucket. Luncheon of salmon and Shavuot delicacies following services (Shacharit at 9 a.m.; Yizkor 10 a.m.). Adults $15 | Children 2-12 $7 | Family max. $55. RSVP, Beth Abrahim at 401-475-3022 or bethabrahim@gmail.com or Linda Kessler at 401-556-3216 or lindakess5@gmail.

com.

Tuesday | June 11

“The Prophets.” 10-11:30 a.m. Temple Sinai, 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston. Explore the words of prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah and Hosea. Reflect on how to apply their teachings to our times in an adult study course led by Rabbi Jeff Goldwasser. Upcoming classes: 6/25, 7/2. Information, Dottie@templesinairi. org or 401-942-8350. Temple Torat Yisrael’s Lunch and Learn. Noon-1:30 p.m. T’s Restaurant, 5600 Post Road, East Greenwich. Study Jewish sources addressing current issues with Rabbi Aaron Philmus. Information, stephanie@toratyisrael.org or 401885-6600. PJ Library in the Park. 3:30-4:30 p.m. Wilson Park, Roosevelt Ave., North Kingstown. PJ Library stories, scavenger hunts, outdoor activities, snacks and new friends in a different park each month. Ages 5 and under. Free. Information or RSVP, lursillo@ jewishallianceri.org or 401-421-4111, ext. 141.

Wednesday | June 12

New Israeli Innovation in Digital Health Shaping the Future of Healthcare. 9 a.m.-noon. Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, 222 Richmond St., Providence. Presented by Rhode Island Israel Collaborative. Early Bird $25, Students Free, RIIC/RI BIO Members Free. Information, Avi Nevel at info@ theriic.org or 401-486-1152. Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island’s Eighth Annual Meeting. 7 p.m. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Installation of James Pious as chair of the board. Tribute to Mitzi Berkelhammer, outgoing chair of the board. Presentation of leadership awards. Board installations for Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island, Jewish Federation Foundation, Alliance Realty, Inc. Reception follows. Information, Gail Putnam at gputnam@jewishallianceri.org or 401-421-4111, ext. 158.

Friday | June 14

5th Grade Graduation. 9:30-11:30 a.m. Jewish Community Day School of RI, Temple Emanu-El, 85 Taft Ave., Providence. Final day of classes for all JCDSRI students. 5th graders graduation. Information, Eileen Ellis at eellis@jcdsri.com or 401-7512470. T.G.I.F. – Thank G-D It’s Friday. 5:45-7 p.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Shabbat songs and story with Rabbi Aaron Philmus followed by a free kid-friendly Shabbat dinner. Donations welcome. Information or RSVP, Torat Yisrael office at 401885-6600. Shabbat Chai. 6 p.m. Temple

Emanu-El, 99 Taft Ave., Providence. Cantor Mayer and the Shabbat Chai Band lead services with contemporary and traditional melodies. Shabbat dinner, no cost to service attendees. Optional donation. Information, Cantor Brian Mayer at bjmayer@teprov.org or 401-3311616. Shabbat with the Providence Gay Men’s Chorus. 7:30-9 p.m. Temple Sinai, 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston. Funfilled evening with a variety of songs and styles. Oneg will follow services. Information, Dottie@templesinairi. org or 401-942-8350. Kabbalat Shabbat Service. 7:30-9 p.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Service followed by Oneg. Information, stephanie@toratyisrael.org or 401-885-6600.

Saturday | June 15

Classic Shabbat Service. 9-11 a.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Service followed by a Kiddush luncheon. Information, stephanie@toratyisrael. org or 401-885-6600.

Sunday | June 16

Bresler & Katsh Together Again! 1-3 p.m. Congregation Beth Sholom, 275 Camp St., Providence. Fishel Bresler and Shelley Katsh re-unite for a concert of Klezmer & Hassidic music to benefit the Danielle Bessler Foundation. With Michael Goldberg on drums. $18 | sponsors $72. Information, ChrysalisRobotics.com, ChrysalisRobotics@gmail.com or 401-465-0225. Amudim Dinner. 4:30-8:30 p.m. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Providence Hebrew Day School pays tribute to honorees Jeffrey Savit, Anschel and Deborah Strauss, and Menachem and Ilana Weissmann at this year’s dinner. $65 per person. Tickets, Amudim@ phdschool.org. Information, Rabbi Scheinerman at pscheinerman@ phdschool.org or 401-331-5327.

Wednesday | June 19

Bornstein Holocaust Education Center Annual Meeting. 7-9 p.m. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Installation of Officers and Board of Directors. Information, May-Ronny Zeidman at May@ BornsteinHolocaustCenter.org or 401-453-7860. PHDS Graduation. 7-9 p.m. Providence Hebrew Day School, 450 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Information, Rabbi Scheinerman at pscheinerman@phdschool.org or 401-331-5327.

Thursday | June 20

Cranston Senior Guild June Get-Together. Noon. Hibachi Grill, 1245 Bald Hill Road, Warwick. Lunch buffet: $8.99 (beverage not included). 10% discount for seniors.

Bring a friend. Information, Lois Cohen at 401-944-2761. Game Night. 6 p.m. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Bring your favorite board and card games or borrow them from our library. Experienced gamers and curious newbies welcome. Free. Popcorn and candy; beer and wine available for purchase. Register at jewishallianceri.org/game-night/. Information, Lisa Maybruch at lmaybruch@JewishAllianceRI.org or 401-421-4111, ext. 111. “Portraits of Resilience.” 7-9 p.m. Brown RISD Hillel, 80 Brown St., Providence. A photo essay and a compendium of life stories, Daniel Jackson brings us face to face with individuals who battled depression and anxiety and ultimately found purpose in their struggles. $10 suggested donation. Information, Elissa Felder at elissafelder@aol.com.

Friday | June 21

40th Anniversary Special Shabbat Service. 8 p.m. Congregation Beth David, 102 Kingstown Road, Narragansett. This fiscal year marks the 40th anniversary of the congregation as a year-round synagogue. Special Shabbat service honors past presidents. Guest Cantor Anita Schubert will co-lead the service with Rabbi Ethan Adler. Information, Jerry Kasten at 401-885-1296. Temple Torat Yisrael Beach Shabbat. 6-8 p.m. Goddard Park, 1095 Ives Road, Warwick. Informal, interactive family service with lots of singing. A beautiful way to say goodbye to the work week and welcome in Shabbat. Potluck dairy picnic follows service. Bring a beach chair. Information, stephanie@toratyisrael. org or 401-885-6600. Shabbat under the Stars. 7-8:30 p.m. Temple Beth-El, 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. Gather together on the Julie Claire Gutterman Biblical Garden patio to greet Shabbat with

song and stories. Enjoy summer treats following the service. Information, Kim Campbell at kcampbell@ temple-beth-el.org or 401-331-6070.

Saturday | June 22

Taste of Shabbat. 9-11 a.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. 9 a.m. Torah discussion; 9:45 a.m. service and light Kiddush. Information, stephanie@toratyisrael org or 401-885-6600.

Sunday | June 23

CBD Celebrates 40 Years Dinner. 6:30 p.m. Kinney Bungalow, Narragansett. With guest speaker Dr. Yarden Fanta. Cost: $60. RSVP (by 6/13) at cbdri.org. Information, Jerry Kasten at 401-885-1296.

Tuesday | June 25

“The Prophets.” 10-11:30 a.m. Temple Sinai, 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston. Explore the words of prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah and Hosea and reflect on how to apply their teachings to our times in an adult study course led by Rabbi Jeff Goldwasser. Third of four classes. Last class: 7/2. Information, Dottie@ templesinairi.org or 401-942-8350.

Friday | June 28

Congregation Beth David Beach Service. 6:45 p.m. Narragansett Beach, Narragansett. Come enjoy the first of three Friday night Narragansett beach services. Information, Jerry Kasten at 401-885-1296. Kabbalat Shabbat Service. 7:30-9 p.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Service followed by Oneg. Information, stephanie@toratyisrael.org or 401-885-6600.

Saturday | June 29

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Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

COMMUNITY VOICES | OPINION

Readers react to Brown Divest

The power of words unspoken

In the liberal monoculture that reigns at Brown and many universities, I am sure the BDS organizers are praised for bowing to the doctrine that the successful must owe their success to exploiting the unsuccessful. This delusional doctrine leads to the conclusion that BDS is justified. The Palestinians could have had a country of their own long ago. The Palestinian Authority leadership has chosen to reject every offer Israel has made for a two-state solution. The Hamas charter calls for the destruction of Israel and the death of every Jew in the world. I encourage Mr. FrolichsteinAppel and Mr. Solomon to travel to Ramallah or to Gaza and ask the Palestinian leadership to spend the money at their disposal on infrastructure, the necessities their subjects lack, and universal human rights education rather than terrorism and corrupt enrichment of the elites. If the BDS champions survive the Gaza tyranny, I pray they grow wiser and outgrow their arrogance that they know what is best for the Jewish people

DAN PAGIS (1930-1986), a well-reBut, of course, the woman’s effort garded Israeli poet, was born in is futile, doomed from the start. By Bukovina, a German-speaking part what twist of logic can the woman of Romania. During World War II, think that anybody reading the he spent three years in a concenpenciled note scribbled on the boxcar tration camp in Ukraine. wall could possibly know who this After escaping in 1944, “Eve” might be? the teenager made his Using these same few way to Israel. Upon words, Pagis also evokes arrival in 1946, he the distant world of Bibabandoned his lical myth, naming all native tongue and four members of the first quickly became family in Western civilifluent in Hebrew. zation: Eve, Abel, Cain, Pagis’ 1970 poetry Adam. Eve in the boxcar collection, “Gilgul” is the ultimate victim, (meaning: cycle, but in asking for her RABBI JAMES transformation) includes older son Cain, she is ROSENBERG works in which he wrestles also the mythic Eve, with the almost incomprehensible mother of the world’s dislocations he was forced to first murderer: mother of Cain, who endure during the Holocaust and its slays his younger brother Abel; Cain, aftermath. the prototype of the generations of Among the poems in “Gilgul” is murderers who follow him; Cain, an exquisite miniature, “Written in whose genes have combined and Pencil in the Sealed Boxcar”: “Here recombined to produce the world’s in this transport/I Eve/With Abel most efficient gang of murderers, the my son/If you (pl.) see my older son/ very Nazis who are about to murder Cain son of Adam/Tell him that I.” Eve and Abel when they emerge from Pagis’ compression of expression the boxcar. astonishes me: four Hebrew words in The very title of Pagis’ poem, the title, just 19 Hebrew words spread “Written in Pencil in the Sealed over six short lines in the body. ParaBoxcar,” links it to the majestic doxically, its very brevity enables the world of our High Holy Day liturgy. poem to contain world after world. The Hebrew title begins with the The most immediate world is the word katuv (written) and ends with here-and-now horror of the Holothe word chatum (sealed). A central caust. A woman and her younger theme of our High Holy Day worship son are crowded into a sealed and is that our fate for the coming year stinking boxcar – more than likely is written down tentatively on Rosh on the tracks to a death camp. The Hashanah and permanently sealed woman makes a desperate attempt to on Yom Kippur. As the Unetaneh make contact with her older son by Tokef prayer reminds us, “On Rosh scratching her 19-word plea in pencil Hashanah it is written, and on Yom on the boxcar’s wooden wall. She Kippur it is sealed .…Who shall live, hopes against hope that someone in and who shall die?” this transport, or in some subsequent In a significant sense, Pagis’ poem transport, can help connect mother is most eloquent in the words that are with son. left unspoken, unwritten – the silent

Regarding the Community Voices Opinion “Our Judaism compels us to fight for divestment and against anti-Semitism” (May 2019), I say that we should all forgive Sam Frolichstein-Appel and Brian Solomon for their stance on this issue. They are two innocent and naïve 21- or 22-year-old college students, who have no idea how much their view is encouraging and not fighting against anti-Semitism. I am 83 years old and wonder how they will look upon the position they took in this period in their lives as they approach my age. Edwin S. Mehlman Warren, RI

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words that come after the “Tell him that I.” A silence that fills eternity. How does Eve intend to complete her sentence? What urgent message might she have for her elder son? “I am on my way to Auschwitz ... you need to hide … I am counting on you to survive so that you can preserve my memory, so that you can say Kaddish for me .…” And Eve’s words unspoken, unwritten, in the sealed boxcar are the merest hint of all the lives cut short by the consuming flame of the Shoah. Unlike Eve in the boxcar – and unlike millions of other silenced victims of the Holocaust – we do have the power and the freedom to finish our sentences. Yet all too often our words left unspoken rise up to accuse us of our failure to say what we ought to have said, to say what we had wanted to say … but then it was too late. Nevertheless, there are those times when fortune smiles on us, and we give voice to our deeply held feelings while there is still time. In the early fall of 2001, my father lay dying in a continuing-care facility in Maplewood, New Jersey. Though I had multiple obligations as rabbi of Temple Habonim, in Barrington, I made every effort to visit my father every two weeks during his final months. On what turned out to be my last visit, as I was saying goodbye, I added, “See you in two weeks,” to which my father responded, in a barely audible mumble, “If I’m still here.” Briefly stunned, I found myself unable to speak. I replied, “If not, I want you to know that I love you.” The next time I was with my father was at his funeral. JAMES B. ROSENBERG is rabbi emeritus at Temple Habonim, in Barrington. Contact him at rabbiemeritus@templehabonim.org.

US Embassy in Israel will hold annual July 4th celebration for the first time in Jerusalem BY MARCY OSTER JERUSALEM (JTA) – The U.S. Embassy in Israel will hold its annual Fourth of July celebration for the first time in Jerusalem. The event traditionally has been held at the home of the U.S. ambassador in Herzliya. In March, Ambassador David Friedman moved into a

residence in a building in western Jerusalem that formerly functioned as a consulate. He also owns a home in Jerusalem. Last year, two months after the U.S. Embassy was moved to Jerusalem, the annual celebration was held in Airport City near Ben Gurion International Airport. This year it will be held

on July 2 at the International Convention Center in Jerusalem. “The U.S. Embassy to Israel will hold its July 4th celebration in Jerusalem this year, consistent with the embassy’s move to Jerusalem and the recent fulfillment of the Jerusalem Embassy Act,” a State Department official told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

The 1995 act called for the United States to move its embassy to Jerusalem, but President Donald Trump’s three predecessors exercised a clause that allowed a waiver due to national security reasons. Trump had used the waiver three times but did not sign it last month following Friedman’s move to Jerusalem.

Jewish Rhode Island publishes thoughtful and informative contributors’ columns (op-eds of 500 – 800 words) and letters to the editor (300 words, maximum) on issues of interest to our Jewish community. At our discretion, we may edit pieces for publication or refuse publication. Letters and columns, whether from our regular contributors or from guest columnists, represent the views of the authors; they do not represent the views of Jewish Rhode Island or the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island.

Send letters and op-eds to: Jewish Rhode Island, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence, RI 02906 or editor@jewishallianceri.org. Include name, city of residence and a contact phone number or email (not for publication).

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Jewish support for BDS is another example of creeping anti-Semitism BY RUSSELL D. RASKIN IT IS IRONIC that the recent Opinion piece on Jewish support at Brown University for boycotting and divesting from Israel (“Our Judaism compels us to fight for divestment and against anti-Semitism,” May 2019) appears on the same page on which the New York Times confesses that it has become numb to the “creep” of anti-Semitism. Two seniors at Brown University wrote the op-ed to explain their support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS), essentially saying that they do not indulge in the anti-Semitic excesses of the “global BDS platform.” This is a good thing since the global BDS platform calls for the extinction of Israel as a Jewish state. Perhaps only on a college campus can young Jews support causes that threaten their own safety and that of the nation that helps ensure the safety of millions of their brethren. Jewish history is filled with causes championed by idealistic Jews, movements that then turned on them and sought their

destruction. Perhaps these college students should consider the writings of an illustrious professor who has studied the BDS movement and written about it extensively. Alan Dershowitz, professor emeritus at Harvard Law School, states unequivocally that BDS is immoral, ineffective and a threat to a peaceful solution of the impasse between Jews and Arabs in the Middle East. He states: • BDS is immoral because it places the entire blame for the conflict on Israel. Israel has offered peace settlements to the Palestinians on at least three occasions, all of which were met with rejection and renewed violence. • BDS is immoral because it violates the core principle of human rights, namely “worst first.” It seeks to single out one country for its alleged violations of human rights while ignoring chronic, well-documented human-rights violations committed by its neighbors, including the Palestinian Authority. Israel is among the freest and most democratic nations in the world, and its non-Jewish citizens

enjoy more rights than anywhere in the Arab world. Furthermore, when a sanction is directed against only one state, and one which has one of the best records on human rights, and that nation happens to be the world’s only Jewish state, it is hard not to conclude that the motivation is hatred of Jews. • BDS is immoral because it encourages a double standard against Israel. One need only look at the world’s indifference to the war crime of launching hundreds of rockets at Israel’s civilian population, which Hamas recently did, to see how indifferent the world is to anti-Semitism. • BDS is immoral because it promotes exaggerated and hateful caricatures of the Jewish people and furthers the world’s oldest phobia: anti-Semitism. BDS narratives are commonly quoted on neo-Nazi, Holocaust denial and overtly anti-Semitic websites, not to mention some websites in the American political world that are not friendly to Jews or the Jewish state. • BDS emboldens the Palestinians to reject compro-

mise solutions. International support for BDS may be interpreted by the Palestinian community as tacit approval of unacceptable conduct, such as: promoting violence; indoctrinating children with hatred of Jews (e.g., vilifying Jews in textbooks and on children’s television shows and teaching songs promoting the killing of Jews); and glorifying terrorists as martyrs and paying generous stipends to the families of those same terrorists, a policy known as “pay for slay.” • BDS lulls the Palestinians into the irrational belief that it will pressure Israel into concessions that threaten Israel’s security. Israel will never agree to Palestinian demands that would destroy the Jewish state. In the words of Professor Dershowitz, “all decent people who seek peace in the Middle East” should “join together in opposing the immoral BDS movement.” That includes the decent and idealistic Jewish – and non-Jewish – students at Brown and on other college campuses. RUSSELL D. RASKIN, ESQ lives in Providence.

Conquering hate, one meal at a time BY LARRY KESSLER “WE’VE WORKED HARD to push back against anti-Semitism, and succeeded in improving hate crime laws, and yet we continue to experience an alarmingly high number of anti-Semitic acts.” – ADL’s national director Jonathan Greenblatt, reacting to an ADL report stating that 2018 had the third-highest number of anti-Semitic incidents since 1979 The good news is that the 1,879 anti-Semitic incidents reported last year in the United States was down from the 1,986 incidents reported the previous year. The bad news is that the number of anti-Semitic assaults more than doubled, from 17 to 39. The sad news is that, as both the Oct. 27 assault on Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh (11 dead, six wounded) and the April 27 attack on the Chabad synagogue in Poway, California (one dead, three wounded) painfully showed, the growth of all forms of anti-Semitism is real and not to be ignored.

The frustrating news is that with the nation bitterly divided – more than we’ve been since the Vietnam War – people are increasingly worried that we’re headed down a path to permanent polarization. It’s understandable that we feel that way, because the constant negativity, combined with the rise in shootings and the attacks on houses of worship, have made even the strongest among us feel vulnerable – being attacked for simply exercising your constitutional right to the freedom of religion will do that to even the most optimistic among us. But amid the despair of the hate speech that seems to dominate social media and is increasingly creeping into mainstream society, there’s a possible response to all that anger that could help: encourage people to break bread with those whom we don’t know well. Over the years, I’ve been on both the giving and receiving ends of such kindnesses, and the experiences were always rewarding and left me feeling

more upbeat. My first such experience came in 1974, when, while working in a small French-Canadian town in northern Quebec, the French family I rented a room from invited me to join them for their Christmas Eve “midnight supper,” a feast that featured many delicious French-Canadian specialties. That meal not only satisfied the appetite of someone who was living on a very limited income (hard-boiled eggs and toast were a staple), but it also left me with a better understanding of the French-Canadian culture. The kindnesses didn’t end there, as the next day I was invited to a traditional Christmas dinner at the home of an older English-speaking couple who knew me through the weekly paper I was editing. Their graciousness was appreciated and left me humbled. A similar nicety was extended to me on Christmas Day in 1975 when, while living in Ontario, Canada, an older reporter and his wife insisted that I CONTINUED ON PAGE 29

Readers react to Brown Divest I appreciate Sam FrolichsteinAppel and Brian Solomon’s explanation of the Brown University Divest Coalition (May 2019) and their care in explaining their point of view. However, I feel that their ideas ignore important issues. I don’t hesitate to voice my objection to many policies of the current Israeli government. Although I lived in Israel many years ago, one of my enduring memories is of everyone – including students at Bethlehem University, which I visited – expressing opinions at the tops of their voices. I hope this is still true. However, the Brown Divest movement calls for the school’s administration to “divest… from companies complicit in human rights abuses *in Palestine*” (my emphasis). Not in Saudi Arabia (where women have few rights, and which apparently tortures and murders dissident journalists), not ISIL (which invades Yazidi villages in Iraq, slaughters all the men and boys, and gang rapes the women who are then sold as sex slaves), not in Russia, not in China (where the Uighars are apparently being imprisoned in “re-education” camps). No, only in Israel, where a non-Jewish Arab sits on the Supreme Court, and non-Jewish Arabs and Druze serve in the Knesset. The authors may argue that, as committed Jews, they feel a particular duty to criticize Israel. Brown University, however, is not a Jewish institution. In singling out Israel, these well-meaning students open the door to attacks by anti-Semites. People who already attack Israel may reason that when even Jews say that it is only Israel that should be punished, since Israel is Jewish, it is clear that Jews, too, are evil and should be punished. People who believe that Brown should divest itself of investment in any company complicit in human rights abuses should say so. Jewish students might add that, as Jews, they hold Israel to higher standards. But in singling out Israel, they become complicit in aiding the increasing movements in the U.S. that target Jews as the enemy. Jane Arnold Providence, RI

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Searching for Samuel Hart The next stop for “The BY GERALDINE S. FOSTER IT BEGAN WITH A CASUAL REMARK by one of my grandsons, the one who inherited the history-buff gene. His sphere of interest is mainly Canada, a curiosity whetted by his experiences as an undergrad at McGill University, in Montreal. Recently, he was telling me about Cape Breton and the backstory to a song about the island. Just before our conversation ended, he added, “I also found out that the first Jew to settle in Nova Scotia came from colonial Newport.” And then he said “goodbye.” But he had already said those magical words, “colonial Newport.” Since traveling to find original or even secondary information was not an option, this journey of discovery had to rely, in part, on the internet – which, of course, is not always a reliable source. Finding the identity of this first Jewish settler on the web proved easy. His name was Samuel Hart. He came to Nova Scotia from New York at a time when many Tories were leaving New York for Canada. But then the questions began. Was it “sometime in the 1780’s”? 1781? 1785? And where was his home in the colonies? New York? Philadelphia? Newport? Accounts differ, but on Hart’s life in Nova Scotia there is agreement. Samuel Hart (c. 1747-1810) did arrive in Nova Scotia when many Tory sympathizers emigrated from New York. He became a very successful dry goods merchant and importer, perhaps engaging in “sharp practices.” According to A.B. Sutherland, in the Dictionary of Canadian Biography, Hart had a brother, Moses, who lived in London. When Moses suffered heavy losses in business, Samuel bailed him out. Samuel Hart was elected to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly for Liverpool Township, serving 1793-1799. In order to take his seat in the House of Assembly, he had to take an oath “as a Christian.” He converted. Hart purchased a large estate, Maroon Hall, in Preston, entertained lavishly, and died tragically after being declared legally insane. To add to the mysteries about his life, the Atlantic Jewish Council states, “The first Jews arrived in Halifax in 1750, a year after the city was founded and established as a fort. By 1752, there were as many as 30 Jewish men, women, and children living in Halifax .... The first Jewish settlers came from Newport, Rhode Island. Most were merchants.” The many articles in the Rhode Island Jewish Historical Society’s Notes dealing with the Jews of colonial Newport make no mention of this exodus. However, there is information on the Hart family. The Harts were prominent among the Jewish merchants of Newport. Originally from England, they came to Newport after achieving residency privileges in New York. They were am-

bitious, canny entrepreneurs who were attracted to the city’s shipping industry. Abraham and Nephtaly Hart were members of the original group of nine Jewish businessmen to arrive from New York in the 1740s. Additional members of the Hart clan arrived in the next decade. They engaged in a variety of commercial ventures – manufacturing, trade, shipping – often in partnerships with others in the community. (Marilyn Kaplan “Jewish Merchants of Newport,” RIJHNotes, vol. 1, 1975.) As long as the British occupied Newport during the American Revolution, the Harts were able to operate some of their businesses. When the British forces withdrew, their situation became untenable. In his magnum opus, “The Colonial American Jews,” Jacob Rader Marcus wrote: “Apparently all the Harts were Loyalists – among them Isaac, Samuel, Samuel Jr, Moses, Jacob and Nephtaly .... After the Hart clan left, all their estates were confiscated and they were declared banished.” The Harts were accused of offering comfort to the British and refusing to take a loyalty oath to the new government. They found refuge in New York City and in New York’s Long Island. Jacob Hart had wanted to move to Nova Scotia, but ran out of money. He took his family back to England in 1783. According to Malcolm Stern’s genealogy of the American Hart family, Jacob’s family included two sons and a daughter: Moses (b. 1748), Samuel (b. 1749) and Miriam. Is this Samuel our elusive subject? Did he fulfill his father’s dream of Nova Scotia? A major part of the joy of history is the search itself, and the interesting sidelights one finds along the way, such as that the most common Jewish name in colonial America was Hart, originally Herz, meaning heart. They were not all related. In the late 19th century, Jews from the Russian Pale of Settlement began arriving in Cape Breton to work in the mines. Lured by the promise of paid passage by the mine owners, they saw a way to escape the terror of pogroms. At one time, there were 400 Jewish families living on the island. When the mines closed, the general population, including the Jewish population, dwindled. The remaining Jewish community is now centered in Sydney, Nova Scotia. Then there is … but I shall leave that nugget for another column. And, yes, I am still searching for Samuel Hart. With gratitude to Carrie-Ann Smith and Cara MacDonald at The Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, and Joe Weber at American Jewish Archives. GERALDINE S. FOSTER is a past president of the R.I. Jewish Historical Association. To comment about this or any RIJHA article, contact the RIJHA office at info@rijha.org or 401-331-1360.

Band’s Visit” is Providence BY FRAN OSTENDORF BY NOW, YOU’VE PROBABLY HEARD of the Broadway smash hit “The Band’s Visit.” Originally an Israeli film, it tells the story of how an Egyptian Police Band is accidentally sent to a remote Israeli town in the middle of the desert after a mix-up at the border. The show, which ended its Broadway run in April, has broken box office records and won 10 Tony awards, including best musical, in 2018. And now, its national tour is kicking off at the Providence Performing Arts Center. That’s right. Here in Rhody. Jewish Rhode Island recently had an opportunity to chat with Itamar Moses, the playwright who adapted the movie’s script to the stage. The 42-year-old writer was one of the Tony winners for his “book.” And although he’s from the San Francisco Bay area, he has a connection to Providence; his Israeli parents are Brown graduates. How does a playwright hook up with a show like this? “They emailed me,” Moses said. It was out of the blue. Eventually, he got pretty excited about the project. “What I like is how many ways it was the opposite of what I would expect,” he said in a recent phone interview. “It was quiet, introspective. Musicals are inherently melodramatic.” But this was about a band, so the music was a natural fit. According to Moses, David Yazbek, who wrote the music and lyrics, had a similar feeling about the project. The two worked together on creating a Broadway musical with universal relevance. “This happens to be about Egyptians and Israelis. But it could be about any two groups where there is potential for conflict,” Moses said. When the police band ends up in the small Israeli desert town, they discover that there is no bus until morning and no hotel. But soon the travelers are taken in by townspeople. And from there the two unlikely groups find common ground. “When you strip away all of these things, people want food, shelter, universal human things,” Moses said. He said that because the story is set in a small town, it’s especially relatable. There’s comfort in the familiarity. The show premiered off-Broadway at the Atlantic Theater Company in 2016.

Itamar Moses “We opened [on Broadway in November 2017] at a time when there was the larger question of opening our borders to strangers. This story is based on taking in the stranger. It is so basic.” The Tony Award was a huge surprise to Moses. The show was up against a few new musicals, he said. “I thought our show would do well, but I was up against Tina Fey,” he said. “I was hoping to enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime experience of being a nominee.” He called the win an “out-of-body experience.” Moses has also won New York Drama Critics Circle, Lortel and Outer Critics Circle awards for his work. On Broadway, Tony Shalhoub played Tewfiq and Katrina Lenk played Dina, the lead roles. In Providence, those roles will be played by Sasson Gabai and Chilina Kennedy. As for the appeal of what has been called a quirky comedy, Moses said, “It’s a little mysterious to me.” He added, “This is a show that sneaks up on you. It ends up going a lot of places. It’s a subtle but powerful emotional experience … there’s something deep under the surface that moves people.” FRAN OSTENDORF ( fostendorf@ jewishallianceri.org) is the editor of Jewish Rhode Island. IF YOU GO WHERE: Providence Performing Arts Center, 220 Weybosset St., WHEN: June 25-30 TICKETS: Start at $41, including a $3 restoration charge. Purchase at the box office online at ppacri.org or by phone, 401-421-2787.

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A tasting of Jewish philosophical thought BY JOHN LANDRY WHEN WE THINK OF GREAT JEWISH writing after the Bible, we often focus on the Talmud – that rambling compilation of rulings, debates and stories. But Jews have also written in a more abstract, philosophical vein, and these writings can be a fruitful path to understanding Judaism. To get acquainted with this more abstract thinking, we now have “The Jewish God Question: What Jewish Thinkers Have Said About God, the Book, the People, and the Land.” Author Andrew Pessin is a professor of philosophy at Connecticut College, but he lives in Providence with his family. In addition to his academic writing on René Descartes, he has written books about philosophy as well as two novels. “The Jewish God Question” risks appearing as intellectual history, not a true survey of ideas. Pessin deftly solves this problem by presenting two-page summaries of each thinker (a few get multiple summaries). Rather than drily summing up the key points, Pessin presents them with rhetorical force, as though he were trying to convince you. The compendium ranges widely,

from the allegorist Philo in the 1st century C.E. to the Karaite Aaron Ben Elijah in the 14th century, the apostate Spinoza in the 17th, and the moralist Hermann Cohen in the 19th. Only a few entries feel dated, such as that of astrologer Abraham Bivach in the 15th century, and the anti-Zionist Shalom Dov Schneerson in the early 20th. Pessin groups the summaries chronologically: first Philo and the early medievalists, then Maimonides and later medievalists, then Spinoza and other early modern writers, followed by more recent writers, starting with Theodor Herzl in the late 19th century. Most of the writings respond to secular philosophies that were implicitly critical of Jewish ideas: first Aristotle and the Gnostics, then the Enlightenment from the 17th to 20th centuries, and post-modernism since the mid20th. Pessin’s thinkers wrote for people who agreed with those outside ideas and wanted to understand Judaism accordingly. Most of the thinkers, most famously Maimonides and Moses Mendelssohn, were apologists loyal to the religious tradition who worked to reconcile everything. The book’s approach is especially

effective for the writings since the Holocaust. Most of those arguments are still resonant, timely and persuasive. It’s only by reading several summaries that we appreciate the complexity of the issues. Post-modernism, which exalts personal commitment over universal reason, gets several entries, and may be where many readers linger. It has arguably given renewed cultural respectability to Judaism, but with its own dangers of relativism, individualism and identity politics. Pessin resists editorializing on these developments, but includes an afterword with editorial comments by Samuel Lebens. A young scholar, Lebens is concerned with the scarcity of committed Jewish practitioners of analytic philosophy. He wants more Jews defending Jewish ideas in secular terms, as Alvin Plantinga has done for the Christian tradition. Lebens also suggests that hyper-precise analytic philosophy is the best way to take Jewish ideas seriously. But as Rabbis Jonathan Sacks, Meir Soloveichik and others have shown, we don’t have to choose between analytical absolutes and post-modern decadence – there’s a middle ground. Indeed, it seems to me that a better

agenda is to continue the book’s conversation and link it with the Talmud, a multi-voiced, non-analytical document driven by a deep commitment to Torah. Otherwise, we’ll risk ending up with a post-modern cafeteria culture, one where Judaism is just another set of practices to take on according to the feelings of the moment. JOHN LANDRY lives in Providence.

LEARN MORE DETAILS: Connecticut College Prof. Andrew Pessin is teaching a minicourse this summer based on his book “The Jewish God Question: What Jewish Thinkers Have Said About God, the Book, the People, and the Land.” WHEN: Thursdays, July 11, 18 and 25, from 7:45 to 9:15 p.m. WHERE: Congregation Beth Sholom, 275 Camp St., Providence. COST: $40 for the entire session or $15 for an individual session. FOR INFO: Go to bethsholom-ri. org.

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FROM PAGE 4 people in the congregation was through deaths, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, births, marriages, special events. You build relationships one family, one event at a time, and over time. That’s been one of the attractions for me as a rabbi. You get to meet interesting people. The richness and diversity of the congregation is fascinating. Q. People say you’ve gone beyond what you needed to do, made yourself available in ways that have been really extraordinary. A. I didn’t think that I was trying to be heroic. People need you; you respond. There’s this funny thing about days off. I mean, yes, it’s nice and important to have a day off, because the work is taxing. But you can’t say “no” if someone is in crisis, or if a funeral has to happen that day. In accepting this kind of position, I feel you make an inherent commitment to care for people in their times of need. Q. You’re very self-effacing about this. Some people would say, “I just can’t do that.” What made you want to do so much? A. People come to a synagogue to feel that they’re part of a community, but they are also looking for a connection to something beyond themselves. Call it God, call it the divine, or whatever. Somehow, they want to feel that connection; some people do it through the rabbi. People look to the rabbi as the representative of this tradition, and how you treat people speaks to how the tradition treats people. It has been one of my contentions that Judaism is very concerned about how we treat people, about making Shalom in the world. If you articulate it in sermons and don’t do it in your personal relations with people, then it is all talk and why should anybody else do it? I’m not saying I’ve been an exemplar, but that’s where I’m coming from. Q. Two big changes to the temple building happened in your time, the renovation of the main sanctuary and the construction of the Fishbein Chapel. What was accomplished? A. The main sanctuary was a beautiful room to begin with, but it’s much more beautiful now. With the colors, the carpet, the fabrics, and just everything, it’s a much more beautiful room. We also lowered the bimah by 18 inches, and we put steps across the front of it. That made it accessible to come back and forth. We can come down in the middle of a sermon or at the beginning of a sermon and teach informally. Before, there were stairs on the side; there was no easy flow, and it was very formal. And we put in an elevator from the sanctuary level to the reception hall level, which was a serious need. Q. How about the chapel? A. The chapel downstairs felt constricted. The new chapel turned out to be a beautiful room. It’s a very attractive space, with soft colors and good acoustics. There are a lot of beautiful touches there. The stained glass windows show up much better now, because they were half submerged below the street level before, and here they’re fully exposed and get great light. Q. What do you think of as disappointments or unfinished business you hope will go forward in the future? A. We have spun off many different kinds of services and programs. What I have not been able to do successfully, and I probably could have worked harder on it, was trying to get people to feel like they’re part of the same organization. It’s true that people come together for Kiddush, but I think that in many cases people identify as being parts of the ‘pockets’ rather than as the whole, with a commitment to the whole. I had proposed during my interviews, and I stimulated it once I got here, that we break down the large congregation into smaller units so that people could have more intimacy. When I came, we had 1,100 families in the congregation,

PHOTO | GLENN OSMUNDSON

Rabbi Wayne Franklin passes out materials at the beginning of an adult education class. and I thought that intimacy would be helpful in connecting people with one another. People are energized by developing friendships. Q. You have seen the overall number of families in the synagogue decline. Is this something connecting this synagogue to a broader trend? A. It’s part of a broader demographic, and, as synagogues go, and Conservative synagogues in particular, we’ve done much better in maintaining our position than many others. In the time that I’ve been here, I’ve seen large congregations in other communities be decimated, either because people can’t afford to live in those neighborhoods, or because the style of what goes on there doesn’t work for people anymore, or because their finances have run out. It is no secret that the Conservative movement is not the largest movement, as it once was. We have held our own in Providence. We worked hard to change patterns and change relationships and make our place much less austere, more welcoming and friendly. That has made a difference for us. Q. I have two last questions. The first is to talk a little bit about your future and what you hope to do. A. I took some art lessons years ago, and tried playing with it for little while. I have not had time to be able to clear my head and know that I can just relax and play. I have no idea what I want to do, but I find art intriguing. What people can create, how they can represent things, how they use paints – I just find it fascinating. I love to go to art museums; we love to collect art. Q. What do you hope to keep doing in the religious community? A. I want to step out of that, let somebody else do it. And then if I’m asked to teach in various places, I’ll see. I’m not looking for a heavy schedule and not looking for major commitments. I

will continue with my interfaith work in the National Council of Synagogues. I will probably continue to do some things with Arthur Urbano at Providence College, and maybe classes or visits at some other schools. These are lively and fun. Q. My last question is more philosophical. In your time as a rabbi, how has your relationship with faith changed? A. It is more nuanced, less simple. I’m more aware of broader perspectives and scholarly insights, as well as issues that not only we deal with, but which Christians and Muslims and others also deal with. I also have a different appreciation of sources of Jewish literature. I used to have a fairly standard understanding of where it all came from. Torah comes from Sinai somehow or other, and then there’s the rest of the Bible in stages, and then there’s the rabbis. I’ve come to develop a much deeper realization that the rabbis didn’t create something new and attach it to our tradition. Through the process of midrash [interpretation, commentary], the rabbis actually continued the process of reinterpretation that is inherent in the Bible itself; the biblical tradition is a tradition of midrash, and the rabbis built on it. So there’s midrash in the Bible, and it works its way through the various books in the Bible, and then the rabbis pick it up and continue the process of midrash, of interpretation, reinterpretation, re-application and so forth. That is the process, that is what Judaism is all about, and that’s why Judaism, as far as I’m concerned, is still alive. Because it has been interpretable and reinterpretable from its inception. It’s an evolving tradition, not a matter of getting the right answer. The answer keeps unfolding. I cherish that. NOEL RUBINTON, a member of Temple Emanu-El, is a writer who lives in Providence.

NATIONAL TOUR LAUNCHES AT PPAC!

June 25 - 30

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Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Islandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Eighth

ANNUAL MEETING

Wednesday, June 12 | 7:00pm Dwares JCC | 401 Elmgrove Avenue, Providence Installation of James Pious, Incoming Chair of the Board Tribute to Mitzi Berkelhammer, Outgoing Chair of the Board Presentation of Leadership Awards Board Installations: Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island Jewish Federation Foundation Alliance Realty, Inc. Installing Officer: Rabbi Andrew Klein Reception to follow

Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island 2019 - 2020 Proposed Slate of Board of Directors Chair James Pious Vice Chairs Rabbi Barry Dolinger, Governance Harold Foster, Jewish Life & Learning Janet Goldman, Community Development Sara Miller-Paul, Communications Treasurer Harris Chorney Secretary Oswald Schwartz Board of Directors Jason Bazarsky Adam Cable Susan Leach DeBlasio Michael Eides Donna Evans Ryan Forman Susan Froehlich, Leadership Development Sharon Gaines Marisa Garber Marc Gertsacov Richard Glucksman, Community Relations Council Robert Landau Vincent Mor Mara Ostro Judy Rosenstein Richard Silverman Miriam Esther Weiner Rabbi Rachel Zerin, Rabbinical Representative

Honorary Directors Melvin G. Alperin Alan G. Hassenfeld Mitzi Berkelhammer, Immediate Past Chair Adam Greenman, President & CEO Jewish Federation Foundation Melvin Alperin Mitzi Berkelhammer, Chair Susan Leach DeBlasio Robin Engle H. Jack Feibelman Mark Feinstein Sharon Gaines David Hirsch Marilyn Kaplan, Treasurer Richard Licht Michael Nulman Ralph Posner Jay Rosenstein Robert Sherwin, Vice Chair Barbara Sokoloff Herbert Stern Cheryl Greenfeld Teverow, Secretary Mindy Wachtenheim Alliance Realty, Inc. Board Ronald C. Markoff, Chair Robert Stolzman, Vice Chair Sharon Gaines, Secretary/Treasurer Adam Greenman, President & CEO

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COMMUNITY

OBITUARIES 28 | BUSINESS 26 | SIMCHAS & WE ARE READ 34

The world of Mike Fink: Local insights, worries and sour tomatoes BY MICHAEL SCHEMAILLE

the longest-serving faculty member at the Rhode Island School of

Design, literary arts Prof. Mike Fink has influenced generations of students.

Fink started teaching at RISD in 1957, after receiving a bachelor’s degree from Yale University and master degrees from Brown and Harvard. His current courses include “The Jewish Narrative” and the film-history class “With a Pen of Light.” Fink has been a lifelong participant in Rhode Island’s Jewish community. He has been a trustee of Touro Synagogue, the editor of Rhode Island Jewish Historical Association’s Notes and a lecturer for the Jewish Federation of Rhode Island. Fink’s writing has been published in secular and Jewish publications worldwide, including in Jewish Rhode Island, where he writes a regular column. Here are excerpts from a recent Q-and-A with Fink. Q. How has RISD changed over the course of your career? A. The most obvious change is that [RISD] began as a local school with a very specific purpose, until a president came in and wanted the school to represent the entire United States. Now, students come from all over the world, and we’re very proud of it. There are critics who complain that there are so many international students because they don’t need scholarships. RISD has grown, but as all progress goes, you gain something and lose something. Q. What about changes to Providence itself ? A. I’m very worried about the fate of the Industrial Trust [Superman] building; I don’t like things to go. I used to take students along the rivers, and it disturbs me greatly to see them used as dumps. My Judaism – and I’m very loyal to my Judaism – I cling to the beauty of our rituals and the meaning of our Torah. I look for God in nature. The world is a holy place, and everything we do should be done with respect. Sustainability, environmentalism, climate change are just words. We’re afraid of God’s Eden. Q. What changes have you seen in our Jewish community? A. I think of myself as someone who worries about the Jewish people. In an America of airports and a state where the rich have been overtaxed and moved away, I’m not sure there is a Rhode Island Jewish community. It’s ever-changing; it’s not a static thing. It’s a difficult question for me to answer. I don’t know … how would you answer? Q. I’m not sure, but I’ve heard a lot of people lament the lack of Kosher restaurants and butchers. A. Oh, that’s a good answer! Jewish neighborhoods and businesses have changed. The original

Mike Fink in the house where he grew up and still lives. Jews of Rhode Island have changed, and the Portuguese Jews of Newport have vanished almost entirely. Families come and families go, but the Jewish community, to me, was the delicatessens, the bridge clubs, and they’ve vanished. It changes every minute, every year, with every holiday, with every death. Q. What about your interest in film? You wrote, produced and directed “Nature in the City” in 1969; was that your first work in film? A. I had a childhood in film. You’d go to the movies for the newsreels and the cartoons, and each neighborhood was its own nation, with its own theater. Film is part of my citizenship. “Nature in the City” was a live TV show. I designed little artificial worlds and interviewed interesting people, including an [American] Indian princess. But “Here We Live Again” [a study of Holocaust survivors who came to Rhode Island] is my most important film. I also made a film about my uncle and his half-brother’s local, post-World War II upholstery-repair business, and I’ve made others to teach students how to conduct interviews. Q. You’ve taught a wide range of classes, and you’re currently teaching “The Jewish Narrative.” How did that start? What is it about? A. It began when I was teaching a class on the new diversity. The class produced a lot of chaos, because black, white, male, female, pro- and anti-war students all fought with each other, so the next year I reframed it as “The Jewish Narrative.” There are films, readings, visits to local Hillel chapters and art exhibitions, and guests [Fink’s guests for this class have included Isaac Bashevis Singer, Elie Wiesel and Art Spiegelman]. It’s a little like that TV show I did; it’s got a lot of surprises in it. The focus is on the American Jewish narrative. I want it ecumenical, not specialized. I want students to see that Judaism is not

PHOTO | GLENN OSMUNDSON

just a flavor, but a “bite” of the American dream. Q. Can you tell us about some of your other classes? A. This semester [Spring 2019] I’m teaching “Birds in Books,” which is connected to environmental issues and literature, with birds as symbols. [Fink, who has an affinity for birds, is the faculty adviser to RISD’s Pigeon Club.] I’m also teaching “With a Pen of Light”; that’s from a quote by [French writer, artist and filmmaker] Jean Cocteau. It’s a film-history class, starting with the silent and going into the Depression, World War II, the House Un-American Activities Committee and recent autobiographies. I teach a journalism class called “Writing With Your Feet.” To pass that class, students have to have a piece published somewhere. I want them to learn to take risks, by making errors or accidentally offending someone. I also teach “Bible as Art.” We look at the design of the Bible as poetry. How are the stories told and written? We talk about how the Bible is symbolic, rather than divinely inspired. We go to look at mural illustrations at the [Rhode Island] Jewish Museum, the sculptures at St. Stephen’s, and the Holocaust garden. It’s very ecumenical. Q. Can you tell us a bit about your family? A. As a child, I grew up Orthodox, then became Conservative. I live in the same house on the East Side [of Providence] that I’ve lived in since I was 3; I remember watching the chimney go up. My wife is also named Michael; it’s confusing, but also amusing. We have two daughters and a son, as well as six granddaughters, aged 1-12. Q. Do you have a favorite Jewish food? A. I would say a sour tomato. Sometimes I’ll go to Davis [Davis Dairy Products, in Providence] just to buy a sour tomato. I like Israeli wines, and my wife makes her own challah – it’s superb. MICHAEL SCHEMAILLE (mschemaille@jewishallianceri.org) writes for Jewish R.I. and the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island.

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Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

COMMUNITY

Jeffrey Brier, Richard Bornstein, Brock Manville, Larry Sadwin.

PHOTOS | MICHAEL SCHEMAILLE

Mark & Cindy Feinstein, left, Cathy & Bobby Oresman.

Golfing for a cause IT WAS A BRIGHT AND BREEZY START to the 34th annual Dwares JCC Golf Classic. The annual event, sponsored by the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island, was held June 3 at Alpine Country Club in Cranston. This year, 80 golfers started the day with a barbecue lunch on the patio, chair massages by

Brad Kirton, LMT, and a lot of laughter. With a hole-in-one, golfers could win a trip to the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia. Unfortunately, no one successfully claimed that prize. The evening ended with dinner and a fund-a-need program. Chairs Cindy and Mark Feinstein chose

PJ Library to benefit from the funds raised. Golfers were asked to help raise money to give the gift of literacy to Jewish youth in Rhode Island. The Alliance’s annual campaign benefits from the money raised at the tournament. More photos and information in next month’s Jewish Rhode Island.

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AT THE DWARES JCC

GROUP EX, SPIN, YOGA, SWIM, PERSONAL TRAINING, SMALL GROUP TRAINING, WEIGHT LIFTING, BOOTCAMP, ZUMBA, TRX, TREKKING, BASKETBALL, PICKLEBALL, ROWING, RUNNING CLUB, FIT FOREVER FOR SENIORS

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jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island

FOOD

IN THE NEWS

Everything you ever wanted to know about brisket and more

JCC sponsors Summer Food Service Program for Children

BY CYNTHIA BENJAMIN AWARD-WINNING WRITER, TV host and barbecue guru Steven Raichlen focuses on a meat beloved by Jews in his newest cookbook, “The Brisket Chronicles” (Workman Publishing, $30). Funny thing, as we learn in this homage to brisket, but the rich, flavorful cut of beef is also beloved by Italians, who venerate their dish bollito misto, and the Vietnamese, who eat it in pho, and in Kashir, where it’s nihari gosht, not to mention in the Caribbean, New Zealand, Ireland, France and in many other nations. Who knew? Raichlen knew, from his travels across the globe, and now he has collected all that knowledge in the new cookbook, subtitled “How to barbecue, braise, smoke and cure the world’s most versatile cut of meat.” That’s a tall order, but the book delivers that and much more, starting in Chapter 1, “A Crash Course in Brisket.” Here, a chatty narrative tells you everything you need to know, from where on the steer the brisket is located (it’s the chest), the many differences between a flat cut and a point cut, the history, the physics, how to trim, the best cookware, various outdoor cooking methods, how to carve, brisket terms – and way more. There’s even printed – and highly recommended – the oldest-known brisket recipe, from 1769. But let’s start with Raichlen’s reasons for devoting an entire cookbook to one cut of beef. “Well,” he writes, “first there’s the flavor and texture. Like all well-exercised muscles, brisket possesses an extraordinarily rich, soulful, beefy flavor. … “Then there’s its versatility. You can braise it, boil it, bake it, and, yes, even grill it. … “Price is a factor too, and while brisket costs a lot more than it used to, it’s still a relative bargain compared with, say, prime rib or beef tenderloin.” Of course, to most Americans, brisket is best known as St. Patrick’s Day corned beef, the deli meats corned beef, pastrami and Montreal smoked meat, and the king of them all, Texas barbecued brisket. But Raichlen introduces his readers to mouthwatering brisket recipes from across the globe. Then, he guides readers through dozens of preparations.

As engaging as I found the “chronicles” part of this book, I wasn’t crazy about the presentation of recipes. Some have photos; some don’t. Many are on two pages, and you have to flip the page to see the rest of the recipe. That said, the recipes are detailed and easy to follow, with plenty of helpful hints and dazzling variety. There are recipes for appetizers, entrees, sides, salads, breakfast sandwiches, brisket tots, kettle corn with crispy brisket, sandwiches, cured meats – even a brisket dessert. Raichlen also tells of his earliest memories of brisket, at Sabbath dinners, and gives the recipes for Aunt Annette’s Holiday Brisket and Jewish Deli Brisket. So, whether you’re seeking to create the ultimate Shabbat brisket or to

learn different ways to cook this cut, you’ll be happy with this book. CYNTHIA BENJAMIN is an editor, writer and chef. She is a member of Congregation B’nai Israel, in Woonsocket.

J-Camp at the Dwares JCC, a program of the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island, announces the sponsorship of the Summer Food Service Program for Children. This program is designed primarily to provide meals to children at our day camp from June 24 – Aug 27 2019. All campers are eligible to receive free meals while participating in the program. J-Camp at the Dwares JCC is located at 401 Elmgrove Ave. in Providence. Our camp day runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Early arrival (8 a.m. to 9 a.m.) and extended day (4 p.m. to 6 p.m.) programs are available. Each week, campers participate in a variety of activities focused around specific themes. Campers are split into groups by age, allowing them to fill their days with exciting, ageappropriate activities and challenging opportunities to discover new interests, develop new skills and explore their surroundings. At times, all campers come together as a group to help build community. Camps starts each day outdoors on the fields, with a morning huddle to hear news and activities and to set the tone for the day. Campers also have the opportunity to come together as a whole during lunch. Special programs are planned throughout the summer. Weekly schedules allow children to rotate through a variety of activities, including specialties many have grown to love. There are daily electives that allow campers to focus on a specific interest, with the number of elective periods varying by age. Campers have swim lessons daily and the opportunity to choose free swim for one of their electives. Each week a special visitor conducts lessons and activities based on the week’s theme. The camp takes weekly field trips. Campers make challah for Shabbat every Friday. FOR MORE INFORMATION or to register, please visit the camp website at jewishallianceri. org or contact Aaron Guttin at 401-421-4111, ext. 140.

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Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

The case is stocked at Bagel Gourmet.

Bagels galore! You no longer have to go to the Big Apple for a good bagel BY CYNTHIA BENJAMIN

nce upon a time not too long ago, Providence was a bagel desert. The options were sparse and dry, and, well, kind of pathetic: frozen hockey pucks of bagels

in the supermarket’s frozen aisle, or maybe a mass-produced and pale imitation of a bagel in the supermarket’s bakery.

Fortunately, those days are now just a memory. You can now get a freshly baked bagel at shops all around the city. And this isn’t the variety so common outside of New York City, “bagels” that are basically dry white bread shaped in a circle. These are genuine New York style bagels: Dense and chewy on the inside with a slight tang, and golden brown and lightly crisp on the outside. These are bagels that demand

a schmear of house-made cream cheese, whether plain or flavored. These are bagels that are so delicious, you can eat them whole, right out of your hand, and that it would be a sacrilege to toast. We visited shops that concentrate on bagels, not, for example, doughnut shops that also serve bagels. And we know we didn’t get to all the bagel shops. That would have been impossible. Everyone has a favorite, but we con-

centrated on a few. So, without further ado, our survey of seven bagel shops in the Providence area, in no particular order: REBELLE ARTISAN BAGELS are prepared with the same ingredients you’d use at home – yeast, flour, water, salt and sugar – if you were brave enough, or ambitious enough, to make them at home. Then they are hand-rolled, boiled and baked into more than a dozen varieties with a satisfyingly soft and chewy center. Owner Milena Pagan says she actually perfected her popular bagels at home, using some of the science she learned while attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Rebelle’s also offers more than a dozen toppings for your bagel, from honey and fleur de sel cream cheese

to tomato jam and chopped liver. The topping for the everything bagels is made in-house, and available for purchase, and the lox is cured in-house. Atmosphere: The shop has a decidedly millennial vibe, with burgundy- and pink-haired servers taking orders on iPads. The crowd – and it often is crowded – also tends toward millennials. Price: An everything bagel with plain cream cheese and a small coffee will run you a hefty $6.75. Tip: Stop in on Wednesdays for beet bagels. And stop in any day for mouthwatering baked desserts. Fun fact: Rebelle’s commitment to whole foods extends to the freshly picked herbs used to flavor their cream cheeses. Location: 110 Doyle Ave.

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jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island

Francesca Guerra models one of the T-shirts at Providence Bagel. Providence” T-shirts are a popular item. Location: 695 North Main St. Contact: 401-421-2222, www.providencebagel.com.

PHOTOS | CYNTHIA BENJAMIN

Contact: 401-349-1263, rebelleartisanbagels.com. PROVIDENCE BAGEL offers two dozen varieties of fresh, large bagels every day – sometimes including a mac & cheese bagel! – that are the end result of “much research and development,” according to its website. We don’t know how they do it, but they found a way to skip the boiling step and still produce a bagel with a deliciously dense, chewy interior. Atmosphere: Providence Bagel is often crowded with families, millennials and businesspeople. The shop offers plenty of prepared items for sale, including its everything bagel spice mix, and has a small parking lot. Price: An everything bagel with plain cream cheese will run you $3.22; with a small coffee, it’s $5.21. Tip: Providence Bagel opened a second location, at 1480 Mineral Spring Ave., in North Providence, early this year. All the bagels for both shops are now baked in North Providence. Fun fact: The shop’s “Baked in

THE BAGEL GOURMET has been producing more than a dozen varieties of bagels for more than 20 years at its unassuming shop in a small strip mall. These bagels are a little smaller than those in some other shops, but they get my nod as the best to eat whole right out of your hand, with a soft, chewy interior and lightly crisp crust. Owner Richard Weis is said to have brought the recipe from New York City, and on a recent weekend day, several customers enthusiastically volunteered that the Bagel Gourmet’s bagels are as good as any in that bagel mecca. Atmosphere: The small shop has a few tables and a counter, but many of its orders for bagels and bagel sandwiches are to go. Service here is more personal than in some of the fancier shops. “We treat our customers like family,” says employee Hector Martinez. Price: Every bagel here is $1. Add plain cream cheese and a small coffee, and it’s about $4. Tip: The Bagel Gourmet also makes all the bagels for its sister shops, Bagel Gourmet Café and Bagel Gourmet Ole. Fun fact: If it’s 2:30 a.m., it’s time to make the bagels in this shop. Location: 250 Brook St. Contact: 401-453-5560, www.bagelgourmetcafe.com. BAGEL GOURMET OLE features the same tasty bagels as The Bagel Gourmet, but in the trendier atmosphere of Thayer Street. About that Ole – yes, you can get a taco or a quesadilla here along

with that whole-wheat bagel. How does that work out? “It’s a perfect combination,” says manager Eduardo Perez. Atmosphere: The small shop is not fancy. It has a few chairs at a counter and the menu is written on a chalkboard. The vast bulk of orders are to go. Price: Like its sister shops, every bagel here is $1. Add plain cream cheese and a small coffee, and it’s about $4. Tip: Gourmet Bagel Ole is open until 10 p.m. seven days a week, for those night-time bagel cravings. Fun fact: For many years, this was a bagel shop — then they hired a Mexican chef. Location: 288 Thayer St. Contact: 401-331-1311, www.bagelgourmetcafe.com. THE BAGEL GOURMET CAFÉ is housed in the same building as Brown University’s Warren Alpert Medical School. Unlike many bagel shops, this one is busier on weekdays than weekends, so this might be your best bet if you want a bagel and peace and quiet on the weekend. Like Gourmet Bagel Ole, most of the entrees here are Mexican, and the same delicious bagels are served. Atmosphere: The Bagel Gourmet Café is more spacious and inviting than its sister stores, with plenty of tables and chairs in an airy environment. But in all three shops, the focus is on the food, not the décor. Price: An everything bagel with plain cream cheese and a small coffee is around $4.50. Tip: Customers rave about the breakfast sandwiches. Fun fact: Some people say this is their favorite restaurant in Providence

for – drumroll please – burritos and bagels. Go figure. Location: 222 Richmond St. Contact: 401-454-8800, www.bagelgourmetcafe.com. BAGEL EXPRESS ON BROADWAY is a small neighborhood shop that attracts a steady stream of customers for its 15 varieties of bagels, which were the softest and fluffiest in our survey. The bagels are made at a sister shop, Bagels Express, in North Providence, and are proofed a little longer than usual, then steamed and baked, which creates the lighter texture. The six flavors of cream cheese, including scallion, are made in-house. Atmosphere: While most orders are to go, there are a few tables in the shop where you can sit and enjoy your bagel or bagel sandwich as you check out the artwork on the walls. Price: An everything bagel with plain cream cheese and a small coffee will run you $4.69. Tip: Bagel Express on Broadway often sells out of bagels, so come early to avoid disappointment. Or check out its sister shops, Bagel Express, 1848 Smith St # D, North Providence, and Bagel Express Deli & Cafe in the Village, 2190 Broad St., Cranston. Fun fact: The owner has decorated a wall in the North Providence shop with photo portraits of young family members – all posed with bagels. Location: 262 Broadway. Contact: 401-455-1212, bit.ly/2Ji8Po4. CYNTHIA BENJAMIN is an editor, writer and chef. She is a member of Congregation B’nai Israel, in Woonsocket.

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Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

Fighting Hunger in R.I. ON APRIL 28, THE OUTREACH PROGRAM was held at Temple Beth-El. Participants packaged 40,000 meals that were distributed to Rhode Island agencies and food pantries. In addition, $9,800 was raised thanks for generous donations. This was very close to the goal of $10,000. The Outreach Program’s goal is to end hunger in Rhode Island. This community undertaking took place in the social hall at Temple Beth-El in Providence and contributed the program’s goal of $15 million meals in 2019. This event was sponsored by Temple Beth-El and the Jewish Alliance. The program provides guidance to organize a local event as well as food and equipment. Sponsors provide volunteers and funding. Jewish Rhode Island staff

Members of Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity at Johnson & Wales University with Israeli Shaliach Nir Cafri

Young and old worked side by side at tables to help package food.

The Providence Police Academy sent a contingent of cadets.

PHOTOS | FRAN OSTENDORF

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jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island

Kosher food pantry fills need in Jewish community BY FRAN OSTENDORF PROVIDENCE – There’s a unique food resource in the Rhode Island Jewish community. The Louis & Goldie Chester Full Plate Kosher Food Pantry, now celebrating its 10th anniversary, operates out of the North Main Street home of Jewish Collaborative Services (JCS). The pantry serves between 100 and 150 people each month with one full-time staff member and about a dozen volunteers. It is open Tuesdays and Fridays for “shopping.” For those who are homebound, there is a delivery option. Marcie Ingber is the pantry director. A longtime member of Providence’s Jewish community, she’s working hard to raise awareness of the Kosher food pantry. “I think there are a lot of people who need to be reached,” she said. “Having a local Kosher pantry… not having to look at labels that someone has already looked at [for Kosher symbols] … that is amazing.” “We couldn’t do it without our volunteers,” she says. Ken Schneider, of East Providence, has been a volunteer from the beginning. He makes deliveries, does pickups and helps where needed. Right now, there are about 15 deliveries once or twice a month, depending on demand, he said. Over the years, Schneider has seen the benefits of volunteering at the pantry. He says you get to know some of the regular clients pretty well. In addition to providing all-important groceries, delivered in reusable bags, the volunteers often spot problems in the homes of clients and can refer them for services.

Said Schneider: “When you bring people food, there are often other issues involved. We try not to be too intrusive. “We have about 30 seconds to spend some time in the apartment or house and we get to look around to make an assessment to see if everything looks OK.” This is true at the pantry on North Main Street as well. “We have to watch and listen,” said Ingber. Despite its name, the Kosher food pantry serves everyone in the Jewish community, not just those who keep Kosher. “We are here for the community. If you are Jewish or halal, you can utilize the pantry,” she said. “But less than a dozen [clients] keep strictly Kosher. Part of my goal is to increase that number and increase awareness.” The pantry gets funding from JCS, the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island and other private donors. Community members have been very generous as well. The funding goes to purchase some items from the Rhode Island Community Food Bank; kosher chicken from Zayde’s Market in Canton, Massachusetts; and other items from Davis Dairy Products, on Hope Street in Providence. In addition to monetary donations, food donations are also welcomed; everything must have an acceptable heksher (Kosher symbol). Items that don’t are re-donated to the R.I. Community Food Bank. What food items are needed most? Canned fish, such as tuna, salmon and sardines; cold cereal; oatmeal; peanut butter or other nut butters; sugar-free and no-sugar-added items like jelly. Personal toiletries are welcome as well.

Ken Schneider phones a client to make a delivery.

The Louis & Goldie Chester Full Plate Kosher Food Pantry is located at 1165 North Main St., Providence, and is open Tuesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. or by appointment For more information, call 401-621-5374. To donate or volunteer, contact Marcie Ingber at marcie@ jfsri.org. FRAN OSTENDORF is the editor of Jewish Rhode Island.

Ken Schneider bags food for a client.

PHOTO | GLENN OSMUNDSON

Ken Schneider, right, shakes hands after making a delivery to Israel Gusin in Providence.

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Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

The Aussie Gourmet says have fun with cooking! sible Burger, which is great with cheese.

Q. When did you come to the United States? A. I came to New York when I was 21 to go to college. I decided to become a personal chef 15 years ago, at a time when there were no Kosher personal chefs – I was a pioneer in the industry.

Q. What are some of your best cooking tips? A. First of all, plan in advance. I double recipes [to] have meals ready at the last minute. One I serve right away and one I freeze for a future meal. Next, use good equipment. These are among my favorite tools that I can’t do without: a lemon squeezer, a garlic crusher, a good vegetable peeler, sharp knives and new cutting boards. These tools make all the difference in cooking.

Y L I VI

HEA

explore all the food items in the Kosher food market.

Q. Where did your love of food begin? A. As a child in Sydney, Australia, we did not go out to eat. We loved good food and we made it ourselves, because there were limited Kosher restaurants in Australia. I always had a love affair with food and used to look at recipes online before there were blogs. I would

NAOMI NACHMAN, The Aussie Gourmet, is a Kosher cooking maven and writer. In addition to her popular website, www. theaussiegourmet.com, she is the author of “Perfect for Pesach” and “Perfect Flavors.” Nachman’s cooking show, “Sunny Side Up,” is posted at Kosher. com and her weekly show, “Table for Two with Naomi Nachman,” airs on The Nachum Segal Network app and online. We recently interviewed Nachman for Jewish Rhode Island’s Food issue:

Q. What steps did you take to become an entrepreneur? A. I named my business “The Aussie GourPATRICIA met,” and started RASKIN teaching cooking classes, and became a personal chef when I moved from Manhattan to Long Island [New York]. Q. What about substitutes for not mixing meat and milk? A. There are so many substitutes; you can find anything in a Kosher counterpart, from non-dairy creamer [and] non-dairy cream cheese to meat alternatives such as the Impos-

Q. What do your followers ask you most often? A. They ask me where do I get my ideas from. I get them from exploring when I’m traveling. I look around and have my eyes wide open when I travel. I bring the influence back into my kitchen and create dishes for my readers. Many of these recipes are in my book “Perfect Flavors.” Q. What are some of those dishes and what countries are they adapted from?

A. Pad thai, which was in Thailand. I was standing on the street watching them make it, and talked to them about the different ingredients. I looked to see what they were putting in the dish and got someone to translate for me. I said to myself, I’ve got to bring this home and make this Kosher. I did re-create it, and now it’s in my book. Another dish is ceviche, which I saw being made in Panama. I make it for Rosh Hashanah using salmon. They use a local fish and I adapted [it] to my Naomi Nachman environment and to Kosher specificaQ. What is your taketions. away message for our Q. What is your favorite readers? recipe? A. The key to cooking A. That’s like asking who great Kosher food is using your favorite child is! I like fresh ingredients. There are all my recipes. I do love so many great recipes that making meat, and have a are quick and easy to make. dish called Mole Inspired Have fun with cooking. It Ribs. It has chocolate chips should be an experience, not in it and is inspired from a burden. Mexico. Q. Any favorites for children? A. I have recipes for cereal cookies made with leftover cereal. And my grandchild loves my vegetable soup.

PATRICIA RASKIN, owner of Raskin Resources Productions, is a media host, coach and award-winning radio producer and business owner. She is on the board of directors of Temple Emanu-El, in Providence.

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COMMUNITY

Community anti-Semitism program offers a start to ongoing conversation BY MICHAEL SCHEMAILLE PROVIDENCE – It was standing-room only at the program “Anti-Semitism: A Community Conversation,” held on May 30 at the Dwares Jewish Community Center. More than 120 people came to hear Robert Trestan, ADL New England regional director, speak on the “State of Hate in New England & the United States,” followed by a panel discussion on how to combat racism and hatred in the Rhode Island community. The panel, moderated by journalist Phil Eil, shared an in-depth exchange on the causes of, and answers to, recent increases in hate incidents. Two answers in particular found strong consensus among the panelists: increased anti-bias education and solidarity among all organizations and communities that have been targeted by hate. Jim Vincent, panelist and president of the NAACP’s Providence branch, explained that what affects one community affects all others, and emphasized that “hatred will never defeat love and unity…it should be called out by everyone.” That sentiment was echoed by panelist Mark Elber, rabbi of Fall River’s Temple Beth-El, who said, “When you get to know other people, they no longer are some abstraction. They become humanized to you; it can make a big difference.” Responding to a question about the politicization of racism, Trestan explained, “We need

to make it a nonpartisan issue. I think it’s a community issue; it’s a human issue. It’s about treating people with dignity, with respect…I think government has a responsibility to provide for our safety, but we have to participate in that process, we must…. It’s not an option.” Speaking to the need for solidarity, Victoria Strang, director of the Rhode Island Interfaith Coalition to Reduce Poverty, said, “I think it’s very important during this time that we find commonalities and make our voices heard as a collective group… to come together outside of incidents that are just responses to traumatic events. We need to build relationships so that the sense of community is fostered and is ongoing. If we don’t do that, we’re simply just responding to evil and hatred. We’re not actually working to make sure that we don’t have incidents like that continue in the future.” Eil followed his prepared questions by asking several of the many dozen questions submitted by the audience. In the evening’s final remarks, Alliance President and CEO Adam Greenman said, “There are questions that went unanswered tonight and my commitment to all of you is that we will find ways to answer them. This is the beginning of this conversation; this is not the end.” The program was sponsored by the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island.

Rebelle’s case with bagels in the background

Rebelle’s bagels go Kosher BY MICHAEL SCHEMAILLE

AS OF MAY 19, REBELLE ARTISAN BAGELS started to produce Kosher bagels on an ongoing basis. Rebelle’s owner, Milena Pagan, partnered with Rabbi Barry Dolinger and Lighthouse Kosher in order to ensure that all of Rebelle’s bagels and many of their cream cheeses are Kosher. According to Rabbi Dolinger, they are “absolutely 100% Kosher according to Jewish law.” Pagan stated that Rebelle does “still work with pork and non-Kosher products,” but also that “we take great care in avoiding cross-contamination with separate, Kosher-only utensils and proper sanitary practices.” Dolinger supported Pagan’s statement, saying that “we’ve instituted policies and procedures both fully compliant with normal halakhah (Jewish law) and practically manageable and fail-safe that will ensure Kosher products for the community.” WHERE: 110 Doyle Ave., Providence PHONE: 401-349-1263.

Rabbi Mark Elber, left, and Jim Vincent.

Robert Trestan MICHAEL SCHEMAILLE (mschemaille@ jewishallianceri.org) writes for Jewish Rhode Island and the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island.

Victoria Strang

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Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

COMMUNITY

At the gala (left to right): Susan Bazar, Mindy Stone, Jeffrey M. Padwa, Marisa Garber, Richard A. Licht, Amanda Isenberg, Erin Minior, and Rabbi Les Gutterman.

Celebrating a new organization THERE WAS A HUPPAH, a ketubbah, and the hora. But, this wasn’t your typical wedding – this was a merger of two historic community social service organizations: Jewish Family Service of Rhode Island and Jewish Seniors Agency of Rhode Island. Community members, elected officials and staff of many Jewish agencies throughout Rhode Island, came together to celebrate

the entity that is now Jewish Collaborative Services. Several community members were honored for the good work that has been done. There was excitement in the room and lots of conversation among guests about the work that will be accomplished. Whether it is assisting those in need and connecting them to the resources to enhance their lives or the Kosher senior meal site, JCS will continue the work of the two organizations from a Providence headquarters on North Main Street as well as a West Bay campus in Warwick.

Award winner (left to right): Vince Mor, recipient of The Maurice Glicksman Leadership Award with Jim Galkin, and Erin Minior.

PHOTOS | JCS

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jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island

My Old Friend, the Late I. M. Pei BY GEORGE M. GOODWIN ON TWO OCCASIONS I was privileged to chat with I.M. Pei, the dean of American architects who died May 16 at the age of 102. The first, on March 12, 1988, occurred on the threshold of a Jewish meeting. I had traveled to Washington, D.C., with a small group of Rhode Islanders for a young leadership conference sponsored by the Jewish Federations of North America. Before one session began, as I was strolling across the National Mall, I noticed somebody deeply studying the lay of the land. His distinctive eyeglasses were surely a clue, but then I suddenly recognized Pei, the distinguished designer of the National Gallery of Art’s East Wing. I wanted to shake his hand and express my admiration for several of his magnificent structures, including many I knew in greater Boston. But my two Rhode Island friends, also aware of Pei’s intense concentration, thought that my idea was loony. They said, essentially, “If you want to bother him, go right ahead, but please don’t entangle us.” So, never having been a shy person, I walked over to pay my respects. I wasn’t intending to ask Pei for an autograph. After apologizing for my interruption, I thanked him for his architectural beauty and brilliance, which had won him the Pritzker Architecture Prize (established by the Jewish hotel moguls) in 1983. Then it dawned on me that Pei was thinking about his plans for the underground expansion of The Louvre, which would debut more than five years later. In order to prove that I was more than a celebrity hound, I began to compliment Pei on some of his lesser-known designs. So, for example, I mentioned his 1968 expansion of the Des Moines Art Center, which I had visited in 1985. I also noted that, on the same trip, I had much enjoyed his Atmospheric Research Center in the foothills of Boulder, Colorado. Perhaps even more obscure were my references to two of his Indiana structures: a public library in Columbus and the university art museum in Bloomington. Then Pei perked up! I’d like to imagine that, in a quite understated but authentic fashion, he thanked me for my efforts. Since 1975, I have conducted extensive oral history interviews, on a rich variety of topics, for numerous archives and libraries. Some of my most ambitious and rewarding conversations, recorded between 1992 and 1994, were for the Frank Lloyd Wright Archives at Taliesin West, near Scottsdale, Arizona. Not only did I interview several of the master’s former apprentices and acolytes, but some of

his youngest clients. Indeed, I tracked down two Rhode Islanders, Eleanor and William Slater, who in 1946 had commissioned a Wright home for their property in Warwick. Unfortunately, being too costly, it was never built. I also found Nancy Fain, a daughter of Rosalie and Gerald Tonkens, who in 1946 had built a Wright home in suburban Cincinnati. Nancy, it turned out, was a fellow congregant at Temple Beth-El. Most of my interviewees for the Wright Archives were nationally and internationally famous architects. Although some had met Wright and many still admired his masterworks, most had become devotees of the younger and perhaps more radical International Style, which had been propagated by two former Bauhaus directors: Walter Gropius while at Harvard and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe while at the Illinois Institute of Technology. These interviewees included, for example: Edward Barnes, Arthur Erickson, Romaldo Giurgola, Helmut Jahn, Philip Johnson, Cesar Pelli, Paul Rudolph, and Kevin Roche; as well as rising stars of a younger generation, such as Michael Graves, Charles Gwathmey, and Michael McKinnell. The older and younger celebrity architects included several Jews, such as Max Abramovitz, Bertrand Goldberg, Richard Meier, Moshe Safdie, Robert A. M. Stern, and Stanley Tigerman, only a few of whom had

been presented with or chose to accept synagogue commissions. Of course I had wanted to interview Pei. Yet, when I got to see him at his midtown Manhattan office on Feb. 2, 1993, I somehow neglected to mention our previous meeting on the Mall. This time, he was a far more engaging yet diplomatic conversationalist. While describing his profound admiration for Wright, he also explained his much deeper attraction to Gropius and his younger Harvard colleague, Marcel Breuer. Indeed, both had built their own homes in semi-rural Lincoln, Massachusetts. Inevitably, our discussion led to Pei’s magnificent East Wing. (It had been built during the tenure of National Gallery director J. Carter Brown, a Rhode Island native whom I had also interviewed). Yet, this remarkable structure, both iconoclastic and iconic, was hardly an isolated example of how Pei had gained the confidence, trust and indulgence of a plutocratic client. Indeed, Paul Mellon also commissioned two Pei buildings for Choate School, his alma mater in Connecticut. When I asked my interviewee to elaborate on his ability to charm, challenge and conquer clients, he said that a “New York” term was probably quite useful. After a long pause, he commented, “I think that it’s called chutzpah.” As with many of the stellar architects I interviewed, I quite immod-

Looking up at Dallas’ iconic Fountain Place building, it’s not immediately apparent that the rhomboid-shaped building is missing something most buildings have: a roof. The 63-story building, which was constructed using 26,000 windows, was specifically designed by master of modern architecture I.M. Pei without a roof so that the building would be a prism that looks different from all sides. estly asked Pei for an autographed photo. He provided one right away. Then I asked him to autograph a poster of one of his major commissions that I could hang in my office. Perhaps by this time Pei simply wanted to get rid of me, but he did send me a wonderful night shot of The Louvre’s central pyramid, one adorned with his signature. It should have been entirely unnecessary, but I was again convinced of Pei’s genius in 2016, when I was privileged to visit his extraordinary Miho Museum. It had been built both within and atop a mountain near Kyoto, Japan. Somehow on that visit, I also entertained the notion that, since 1988, we had been old friends. GEORGE M. GOODWIN, who has edited Rhode Island Jewish Historical Notes for 15 years, is currently working on the new issue.

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BUSINESS

When should you retire? S&S AR

D O LL

YOU’VE SPENT DECADES in the working world, and now the question must be asked: When is the right time for you to retire? It’s a decision that requires careful consideration and a detailed, honest look at your life. Where do you stand financially? What about your mindset? Are you emotionally ready to JASON E. transition to SIPERSTEIN a phase of life that isn’t focused on work? To what extent does health factor into the decision? And what about the many other personal considerations involving family, lifestyle and your vision of the future?

While this could be one of the toughest decisions you make, try tackling it from three perspectives: (1) financial, (2) personal, and (3) medical.

1. Financial considerations.

• What type of lifestyle do you envision for your retirement? • How much have you accumulated for retirement, including investments, retirement accounts, cash reserves, real estate and more? • What do you project your monthly expenses will be? • How much income will you have from sources such as Social Security or pensions? • What’s your plan for covering health care/medical expenses? • Are you supporting a family member or friend who relies on you for income?

2. Personal considerations

• How will you fill the hours you once spent working and commuting?

• Are you the type for whom it makes sense to phase in retirement, where you taper your work schedule instead of stopping altogether? • Will volunteering your time and expertise to support a cause or organization bring meaning or purpose to your life? • What hobbies do you want to pursue? • Do you have grandchildren? Do you want to spend time with them? • Will you have enough social connections to stave off isolation and loneliness?

3. Medical considerations

• How long do people in your family tend to live? • Do you want to take advantage of retirement while you are in good health? • Does your spouse need care and require more of your time? • How will you stay active both

physically and mentally? While the first several year of retirement are often exciting, have you planned or thought about the challenges and obstacles of advanced aging? Given the many moving parts, I would recommend starting the process of planning for retirement well in advance of your actual target date. It is not unusual to start this process five or 10 years ahead of time! Answering these questions, some of which are emotionally charged, will take introspection and honest and open communication with your spouse and family. Also keep in mind that your plans or goals might change – and that this is a normal part of the discovery process. JASON E. SIPERSTEIN, CFA, CFP, is the president of the Financial Planning Association of Rhode Island and president of Eliot Rose Wealth Management. He can be reached at jes@eliotrose.com.

PHDS to honor community members at annual dinner BY RUCHAMA SZENDRO SEVERAL COMMUNITY MEMBERS will be honored at Providence Hebrew Day School’s 72nd annual awards dinner on June 16 at the Dwares Jewish Community Center. Jeffrey Savit, a longtime champion of Jewish day school education in Providence and Boston, will be honored with the Amudim Award. Savit is currently the chief development officer of Prizmah: Center for Jewish Day Schools. He served from 2011 to 2017 as the first president and CEO of the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island. Savit and his wife, Lori Barnet, are the parents of two daughters who

attended the former South Area Solomon Schechter Day School, the Rashi School and Gann Academy, all in the greater Boston area. Anschel and Deborah Strauss are this year’s recipients of the Community Service Award. The couple moved to Providence in 1980. Anschel worked as an archaeologist while also serving as a mashgiach (kashrut supervisor) for agencies in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Deborah has worked as a human resources manager, finance auditor and risk manager for the manufacturing and financial services industries. She currently works for Citizens Bank in risk management. Their son, Gavriel, attended the

Providence Hebrew Day School through ninth grade. The 2019 Young Leadership Award will be presented to Rabbi Menachem and Ilana Weissmann. Rabbi Weissmann spent his formative years in Baltimore, and graduated from the New England Rabbinical College. As a young student in Providence, Weissmann volunteered to run several inspiring programs for Jewish youth. He is currently a middle school teacher at the Providence Hebrew Day School. In the afternoons, Weissmann serves as a mentor to students at the rabbinical college. He continues to work with Jewish youth and manages the local chapter of Adopt-A-Kollel.

Ilana Weissmann, a Providence native, began her teaching career in Baltimore, at Bnos Yisroel middle school. She received a B.A. from Thomas Edison State College and an M.S. in curriculum and instruction from McDaniel College. She served as a madricha (leader/mentor) at She’arim College, in Israel, before she and Menachem married and settled in Providence. She has been a general studies teacher at PHDS for 10 years. The awards dinner is open to the public. For details or to make a contribution in honor of the event, please call the school at 401-331-5327, ext. 21. RUCHAMA SZENDRO is a member of the Amudim committee.

Women’s Alliance Endowment Fund awards grants to groups in R.I., Israel BY JENNIFER ZWIRN MEMBERS OF the Women’s Alliance Endowment Fund convened for their annual meeting, run by mother-daughter co-chairs Diane Ducoff and Michelle Miller, on May 6, to determine which local and overseas proposals would be awarded grants. Members were faced with difficult decisions, as they are every year. There were 20 proposals for funding – seven local and 13 from overseas – totaling $35,253. WAEF had $7,981 available to allocate.

Priority is given to innovative programs and services that benefit Jewish women and girls in Rhode Island and Israel and have the potential for long-term, scalable impact. Educational, civic, cultural, religious and inter-group programs are considered, as well as programs in the health and social services fields. This year’s supported programs include a Rosh Hodesh series at the University of Rhode Island Hillel, Brown/ RISD Hillel, and Congregation Beth David, in Narragansett; Congregation Beth Sholom’s “Women, Torah, and Leadership Series”; and Camp JORI’s professional development

training in preparation for summer. Programs to be funded in Israel include the Israel Association for Child Protection’s Group Therapy for Sexually-Abused Girls; Kehilat Kol HaNeshama’s Bar/Bat Mitzvah series; Leket Israel’s Dr. Israel Goldstein Youth Village’s Musical Bands; Refanah Healing Holidays’ Weekend Getaways for breast cancer patients; and the Ethiopian National Project’s Girls Holistic Empowerment. All Rhode Island, Southeastern Massachusetts and overseas Jewish organizations, agencies and synagogues with missions that

fall within the purview of the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island are encouraged to apply for the annual grants. Recently, the Jewish Federation Foundation, which holds the community’s $60-million endowment, including WAEF’s assets, partnered with the Rhode Island Foundation to further JFF’s mission while also giving the community access to RIF’s successful investment pool and operational support services, among other benefits. As of June 30, 2018, the WAEF fund’s value was $178,989.20; a nearly 8.5% increase from June 30, 2017, when it was valued

at $163,119.60. This year’s successful strategy to grow the fund was to encourage current members to gift memberships to their daughters, as well as asking others to consider joining the fund. The Women’s Alliance Endowment Fund now has 131 participants and counting. In comparison, at last year’s WAEF annual meeting membership was at 120 participants. JENNIFER ZWIRN is director of community development at the Jewish Alliance. For more information on becoming a member of the WAEF, contact her at jzwirn@ jewishallianceri.org.

28 | JUNE 2019

Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

Lincoln Park Graves for Sale

COMMUNITY | OBITUARIES Dr. Hilliard I. Beller

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Hilliard I. Beller was the son of Sophia (Aaronson) Beller and David Beller of Brooklyn, NY. He was the husband of the late Leila (Ehrenstein) Beller. The father of Susan Beller and doting grandfather of Sarah “Sam” Donahue, both of Providence, and was the brother of Ruth (Beller) Rosenbaum of New Rochelle, New York. Dr. Beller received a Ph.D. in English from New York University and went on to have a distinguished career, first as an English professor and then as Chief Editor for the Rhode Island Publications Society for more than thirty years. He was a competitive chess player, and was regionally ranked while a member of the Rhode Island Chess Club in the 1980s. In addition to his daughter and granddaughter, Dr. Beller leaves behind his dear friend Frances Scribner of Cranston, as well as a small treasure trove of his poetry and works of fiction. Donations, in lieu of flowers, may be made to the Rhode Island Publications Society or the Rhode Island Historical Society.

Judith A. Bronsther, 64

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NEW YORK, N.Y. – Judith A. Bronsther, of New York City, died April 29 after battling cancer. , Judie was a graduate of NYU Law School and professionally a pioneer in legal cost control and auditing. In her personal life, she was a friend to many; her home was open to all. Judie was the daughter of Ellyn and Burton Bronsther and sister of Oscar and Fredrika, and the mother of Corin. She was the aunt of Michael Schemaille of Cumberland, as well as Rachel, Jacob, Carrie, and Benjamin Bronsther. She will be dearly missed.

Rodolphe Drolet, 70

Rodolphe “Rudy” Drolet passed away May 26 at home with his beloved family at his bedside. He was born 70 years ago in Woonsocket, the son of the late Francois and Marguerite Drolet. Rudy had a passion for motorcycles. He once owned a shop in Pawtucket where he repaired and built motorcycles. He took special joy in designing and building bikes for people with disabilities who would otherwise be unable to ride. His nephews loved working alongside him and learning about mechanical things and how they worked For Rudy, riding his Harley meant freedom, freedom from cares and freedom to explore

and learn about out of the way corners of Rhode Island and nearby Connecticut. He had an avid interest in history and enjoyed engaging his mother-in-law in discussion about people and places in South Providence and also facets of Rhode Island Jewish history. Rudy was open to meeting people from all walks of life and finding common ground. He is survived by his devoted wife Vivian (Foster) whom he married in the chapel of Temple Beth-El 38 years ago, loving father of Abby and adored Zaidie of Brooke Chaya. Contributions in his memory may be made to RI Jewish Historical Association or Hasbro Children’s Hospital.

Ruth Gershman, 105 WARWICK, R.I. – Ruth Davis “Mema” Gershman, died on May 12 at Philip Hulitar Inpatient Center. She was the wife of the late Paul Gershman. Born in Providence, a daughter of Nathan and Rebecca (Goldsmith) Davis, she was a resident of Warwick for more than 40 years, previously living in Providence. She was a clerk for Rhode Island Family Court for 13 years, retiring in 1979. She was a member of Temple Emanu-El, Hadassah, The Miriam Hospital Woman’s Auxilury, Eastern Star and the former JHA Women’s Association. Ruth graduated Hope High School, class of ’31. She was the mother of Judith Goodman and her husband, Norman, of Warwick and Pamela Cohen and her husband, Joel, of Warwick. She was the sister of the late Judge Louis Davis, Dinah Sholovitz, Gladyce Davis, Sylvia Kirshenbaum and Miriam Feinstein. She was the grandmother of Linda Weisman and her husband, Bruce, of Warwick, and Andrew Goodman of Boston, Massachusetts. She was the great-grandmother of Stacey Boisvert and her husband, Brett, of Framingham, Massachusetts. She was the great-great-grandmother of Nathan Joseph. Contributions may be made to Jewish Collaborative Services, 1165 North Main St., Providence, RI 02904, or Hope Hospice, 1085 North Main St., Providence, RI 02904, or the charity of your choice.

Samuel Nelson, 99

WARWICK, R.I. – Samuel Nelson died May 30 at the HopeHealth Hulitar Hospice Center. He was the husband of the late Gertrude (Deluty) Stein Nelson and the

late Barsye (Gershman) Nelson. Born in Providence, the son of the late Joseph and Fannie (Ginsberg) Katznelson, he lived in Warwick for seven years, previously living in Cranston and Boynton Beach, Florida. He was president/owner of Nelson Rack Company, retiring in 1993. Samuel served in WWII as a lieutenant in the Army Air Force where he earned a degree in meteorology and was stationed in Fiji. He earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Providence College. Samuel was a member of Temple Beth-El, Temple Sinai, and Touro Fraternal Association. He was the father of Cindy Turbitt and her husband, Jack, of Port St. Lucie, Florida, Judy Mintzer and her husband, Michael, of Barrington, and stepfather of Allan Stein and his wife, Deborah Guthrie, of Seabrook Island, South Carolina, and daughter-in-law Naomi Mittell of North Kingstown. He was the grandfather of Jacob Mintzer and his wife, Laura, Charlotte Mintzer, Morgan Johnson and her husband, Richard, Mikaela Roberts and her husband, Steven, Jason Mittell and his wife, Ruth Hardy. He was the great-grandfather of Reed Mintzer, Tyler and Emma Roberts, Sophia Johnson, Greta, Anya and Walter Mittell. Contributions may be made to the Phyllis Siperstein Tamarisk Assisted Living Residence, 3 Shalom Drive, Warwick, RI 02886 or HopeHealth Hulitar Hospice Center, 1085 N. Main St., Providence, RI 02904.

Alan Perry, 83

DELRAY BEACH, FLA. – Alan A. Perry died May 16 at ManorCare Health. He was the husband of Marcia (Dworkin) Perry for 61 years. Alan was born in Providence, a son of the late Joseph and Rose (Gabar) Perry. He was a mechanical engineer, physical plant director at Rhode Island College, and retired from Swarovski, Mfg., where he was plant engineer. Alan was also an owner of, and the contractor for A&M Enterprises, Ltd. He was a graduate of Hope High School and the University of Rhode Island School of Engineering. Alan was a member of

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jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island Touro Fraternal Association. He was an active volunteer with the American Parkinson Disease Association in Rhode Island. He was on the board at The Pines of DelRay North, and designed/supervised clubhouse renovations to benefit those with handicaps He was the father of Debra (Perry) Bunn of Warwick and Leonard “Rick” Perry of Florida. He was the brother of Lawrence Perry of New York and the late Marcia Wartel. He was the grandfather of Emily Bunn and Rebekah Thibeault. He was the great-grandfather of Jackson and Isabelle Thibeault. Contributions may be made to American Parkinson Association, PO Box 41659, Providence, RI 02940.

Ruth B. Phillips

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Ruth B. Phillips, of Providence, died peacefully on May 31. She was the wife of the late Milton Phillips. Born in Providence, she was the daughter of the late Anna and Joseph Gomberg, and sister of the late Milton Gomberg She was predeceased by her two sons, Gary J. Phillips of Kenmore, New York, and Paul E. Phillips, Sr. of Providence. She is survived by her daughters-in-law, JoAnn Phillips of North Providence, and Sharon Phillips of Kenmore, four grandsons, Paul E. Philips Jr. of North Providence, Michael Phillips and his wife, Sara, of Voorhees, New Jersey, Gary Phillips and his wife, Carrie, of Buffalo, New York, and David Phillips and his fiancé, Meghan, of Hamburg, New York, and four great-grandchildren. Ruth was a salesperson for the Peerless Store in Providence for 22 years and Cherry and Webb for six years. She was a life member of the CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9 join them at their home for Christmas dinner. Years later, while living in Florida, I enjoyed eating ethnic foods at social outings. Two experiences in particular stand out. The first was during a holiday office party in the late ’70s, when my publisher at the weekly newspaper accepted the can of gefilte fish that my mother had sent me in one of her care packages as my contribution to the potluck lunch The surprise came when his wife seasoned it so that it tasted like a Southern version of the Jewish food staple, and it made for a very tasty appetizer. The second instance happened a few years later, when my father was visiting me in St. Petersburg, and I threw a party on a day when Purim

Jewish Home for the Aged, a member of the Majestic Senior Guild, Warwick Social Seniors, the Rhode Island Chapter of the International Women’s Club, and a member of the Meal Site at Temple Torat Yisrael. Donations may be made to the American Heart Association, 1 State St., #200, Providence, RI 02908 or American Cancer Society, 931 Jefferson Blvd, #3004, Warwick, RI 02886.

Arlene Pollock, 85

WARWICK, R.I. – Arlene Pollock died May 15 at Rhode Island Hospital. She was the wife of the late Harvey Pollock. Born in New York City, a daughter of the late Louis and Katherine (Applebaum) Gumbiner, she was a longtime resident of Warwick. She worked for Plan International. She was the mother of Jodi Moore and her husband, Wayne, of Warwick, Eric Pollock and his wife, Mi Sun, of Ningbo, China, and Lee Pollock of Providence. She was the sister of the late Jane Silverman. She was the grandmother of Adam and Kayla. Contributions may be made to the charity of your choice.

Beverly Rosen, 87

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Beverly S. Rosen, 87, of Providence died May 27 surrounded by her loving family after a short illness. Beverly was born in Providence to Julius and Sadie Schwartz on Jan. 23, 1932. She called the city home while an educator for over 30 years, mother of two

and St. Patrick’s Day overlapped. That inspired me to ask at a bakery about dyeing a couple of dozen bagels green. The owner not only agreed, but also dyed and sold a lot more of them. Reaching out to others over the years has also meant sharing Passover and Hanukkah with non-Jewish friends, experiences that led to more people understanding Jewish holiday rituals. That’s important, because part of the point of breaking bread with non-Jews is to demystify those traditions. That’s always been important to me, especially when people would ask me illogical questions such as since I’m Jewish, would I be celebrating Thanksgiving? Whenever that daffy question would come up,

adoring children, beloved grandmother, world traveler and involved member of the art community. As a lover of the written word, Beverly was a passionate educator of English, as well as an avid reader of fiction and poetry. She also regularly met with a journaling group for several decades. There were many activities she did to express her creativity including painting classes at Hamilton House with an emphasis on making vibrant still lifes and watercolors. Beverly was happiest when she was doing activities with her friends or family and had many happy times on trips to the beach, hiking or sightseeing with them. Beverly was an involved, loving, and deeply caring mother to her children Brauna Rosen and Jennifer Edge. She is also survived by her three grandchildren, Alex, Joel and Rebecca. The family would like to express their gratitude for the excellent care and incredible staff at Hope Health Hulitar Hospice Center. Donations can be made to the Hospice Center at 1085 N Main St, Providence, RI 02904 in memory of Beverly. Please visit https://www. hopehealthco.org/ways-togive/memorial-giving.

Betty-Rose Stone, 92

BOYNTON BEACH, FLA. – Betty-Rose Stone of Boynton Beach, Florida, spouse of Dr. Jacob Stone of Providence, passed away on May 7 after a prolonged illness. The daughter of Dr. William and Lilyan Berkowitz of New York City, Betty-Rose was a graduate of New York University. While studying commerce,

I was never shy about setting them straight. And given the number of misconceptions circulating in today’s society about minorities in America, such lessons are still sorely needed. Granted, sharing food with people of different faiths and backgrounds is no guarantee of promoting a strife-free society. But people sitting across the dinner table from one another do seem less likely to espouse hatred than those who choose to judge others only by what they think they know about them. LARRY KESSLER (lkessler1@ comcast.net) is a freelance writer based in North Attleboro.

she volunteered at Mt. Sinai Hospital during the war. There she caught the eye of cardiology resident Jack Stone who, after admiring the striking redhead across a gurney, said to himself “that’s the girl I am going to marry,” and that he did. After moving to Providence and having three children, Barbara (Richard) Halpern of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Bruce (Nicole) of San Francisco, California, and Dr. Kevin Stone (Susan) also of San Francisco, Betty-Rose became involved in community affairs, editing The Miriam Hos-

pital Examiner and becoming the president of the Women’s Division of the Jewish Federation of Rhode Island. Betty-Rose was known for her taste and style, and debuted the first bikini ever to appear on her much-loved Narragansett Beach. She adored her five granddaughters and made her summer home a haven for them to enjoy. Betty-Rose also loved camp, and would appreciate contributions in her honor to be made to Camp JORI, 1065 Wordens Pond Road, Wakefield, RI 02879.

Nechama Rivlin, wife of Israel’s president, dies at 73 and sent letters and wonderful children’s drawings to the hospital and to Beit HaNasi (the president’s residence), and prayed for her every day. The Rivlins also thanked the Halabli family who donated their late son Yair’s lung for the transplant. Rivlin was born in Moshav Herut in the Sharon region to parents who immigrated from the Ukraine and were founders of the moshav. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Hebrew University in botany and zoology and also studied the history of art. She set up a community garden in the garden of the President’s residence, where children from all over the country came to tend plants, spices and flowers. Condolences poured in from politicians, religious leaders and Israeli citizens. She was buried June 5 at the national cemetery on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem.

BY MARCY OSTER JERUSALEM (JTA) – Nechama Rivlin, the wife of President Reuven Rivlin, has died at the age of 73. She died June 4, a day before her 74th birthday, at Beillinson Hospital in Petah Tikvah, where she underwent a lung transplant three months ago. Rivlin, who had in recent years rarely been seen in public without being attached to a portable oxygen tank, suffered from pulmonary fibrosis. The condition causes scar tissue to fill the lungs and makes it difficult to breathe. “The medical efforts to stabilize her over time during the complicated rehabilitation period after the transplant did not succeed,” the hospital said in a statement. In a statement, the Rivlin family thanked “citizens of Israel… who have continued to ask after Nechama’s health,

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There is no cost to attend this event. We will have complimentary popcorn and candy; beer and wine will be available for purchase. Questions? Contact Lisa Maybruch at LMaybruch@jewishallianceri.org, or call 401.421.4111, ext. 111. Dwares JCC - 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence, RI

PHOTOS | PHDS

Happy Birthday Israel ON MAY 9, Providence Hebrew Day School students celebrated Yom Ha’Atzmaut. Students in Grades 1-6 enjoyed a tour (via Skype) of special sites in Israel, led by the staff of Erez Chemdah. They then created beautiful and edible models of Kever Rochel (Rachel’s Tomb) out of graham crackers, fluff and macaroons. What a yummy and sticky treat! Students in Grades 7 and 8 enjoyed an Israel trivia game in honor of this special day. Hebrew Language teachers Ilana Benz and Janice Rosenfield coordinated this special programming that the whole school enjoyed.

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jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island

Gap year in Israel so much more than expected BY ETAI TAYLOR BALLY ALTHOUGH AARDVARK might seem like a peculiar name, it is the name of my Israel gap year program. Aardvark includes coursework, internships and travel throughout Israel with other high school graduates from around the world – Europe, Australia, Africa and the U.S. Living in Israel following my high school graduation has strengthened my commitment to both the nation and my Jewish identity as I have been immersed in Israeli life, culture, history and education. Every day, I face the new and exciting challenges that come from living in a foreign country. Initially, I did not know how to communicate or, often, as I walked or took the bus, even where I was. But I appreciate being independent and having the freedom to do what I think is most beneficial while living on my own far from home. This means balancing classes, internships, cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, my budget and structured Aardvark activities. The support of Aardvark’s amazing staff and new friends helped me grow as a student, roommate, person and citizen. My first semester in Tel Aviv was frantic and exciting. I lived in a modern apartment with five other Aardvark students. Our Tel Aviv neighborhood, Florentine, is a beach community covered in beautiful graffiti and within walking distance of anything you could imagine, including the sprawling Tel Aviv Promenade on the Mediterranean seashore and an enormous outdoor market. My internship at a music start-up company, 2Gether,

allowed me to focus on my music and technology passions. There, I developed personalized music playlists from around the world, representing a broad spectrum of time periods, genres and cultures, and I produced music. My coursework included Hebrew, psychology and the history of Zionism. I joined an Aardvark extracurricular program, Sea Sports, for surfing, paddle boarding and even indoor skydiving in winter. Our group met with Ethiopian Israelis, hosted a diverse group of speakers to discuss conflict resolution and bridging differences, and hiked and camped around Israel. This past semester in Jerusalem was equally influential, but I felt much more knowledgeable and relaxed. I interned at the Understage recording studio, lived in an apartment with three Aardvark friends, and studied Hebrew, Jewish philosophy and modern Zionism. I also embarked on two optional Aardvark trips outside of Israel. An Israeli non-governmental organization, Tevel b’Tzedek, led a group of Aardvark participants through Nepal for two weeks of learning about tikkun olam, globalization, poverty, social justice, human rights and Israel’s roles in facilitating cross-cultural understanding. The experience included a village homestay, where I farmed, cooked and helped with construction. On Aardvark’s trip to Italy, my friends and I explored Venice, Rome, Tuscany and Florence as we learned about Italy’s Jewish history, communities and narrative. This gap year has been the best year of my life. I am thankful for Aardvark’s week-

ly trips, or “tiyuls,” to explore many parts of the country; the extraordinary staff members; and the lifelong friends I have made. I am grateful to the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode island, Rabbi Sarah Mack and Temple Beth-El for their support.

My decision to live in Israel this year has led to much more than I expected. I hope that parents support their high school graduates in taking a gap year in Israel. My fresh and expanded perspective makes me more prepared to enter Skidmore College this fall. And I now

hope to be more of a bridge and ambassador to other cultures. ETAI TAYLOR BALLY is from Providence and Barrington and attended Temple Beth-El and Temple Habonim.

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THE DOR L’DOR SOCIETY of the Jewish Federation Foundation of Greater Rhode Island hosted a cocktail reception on May 9 featuring Rabbi Elana Zaiman, author of “The Forever Letter” and the first female rabbi in a family of six generations of rabbis. Zaiman is the daughter of Joel Zaiman, who was the senior rabbi for more than a decade at Providence’s Temple Emanu-El. She travels the country as a scholar-in-residence, speaker and facilitator, teaching and lecturing on a range of topics in elder advocacy, health care and estate planning. Zaiman shared with the group of Dor L’Dor and Silver Circle members the importance of being present and mindful, and saying what you mean. She said this is sometimes best accomplished in a letter. “In letters, we say what we have held on to for so long. Through writing we heal,” she said. Zaiman is a chaplain at The Summit at First Hill and an adjunct professor for the Harborview Hospital CPE program, both in Seattle,

where she lives. She is also the ethics and spirituality columnist for LivFun, a publication for Leisure Care retirement facilities in 10 states, and has most recently been published in The Gettysburg Review and American Letters Commentary, among other publications. “I feel at home again,” Zaiman told the group gathered at the Alliance’s Dwares Jewish Community Center, in Providence. “It is so nice to be back in Rhode Island. I forgot just how wonderful this area is, people included.” She added, “Having grown up here, I recognize so many faces in this room, my childhood babysitter included.” Prior to Zaiman’s presentation, Sandra Bornstein, a new Lion of Judah, was recognized and asked to sign the Lion of Judah scroll of honor. “I am touched and happy to support this community. It means so much to me, and it has meant so very much to my family all these years,” Bornstein said. Fellow Lion Susan Froehlich introduced Bornstein and shared with the audience just how meaningful endowing one’s Lion of Judah is. Outgoing JFF Board chair Sharon Gaines spoke about giving Jewishly and the Dor L’Dor Society, which recognizes and honors those who have included the Jewish Federation Foundation in their estate plans or have established a permanent endowment fund. This year, Silver Circle members, those who have given for more than 25 years, also joined in the celebration. JENNIFER ZWIRN is director of community development for the Jewish Alliance. For information about creating a Jewish legacy, contact Sara Masri, chief development officer, at 401-421-4111, ext. 223, or smasri@jewishallianceri.org.

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Hundreds attend Interfaith Yom Ha-Shoah Commemoration BY LEV POPLOW PROVIDENCE – A short film produced by 14 University of Rhode Island students and musical performances were among the many highlights of this year’s moving Interfaith Yom Ha-Shoah Commemoration, held at Temple Emanu-El on May 1. “The Fence Between Us,” produced by URI students in a film production class, mixes interviews with Rhode Island Holocaust survivors Albert Silverstein, Alice Eichenbaum and Jorge Gardos with vignettes of two girls who look like they could be sisters. The girls stand on opposite sides of a fence; despite their apparent sameness, one of them is free and the other trapped. The film was introduced by two of the filmmakers, Katherine Fortey and Griffin Alix, who spoke to more than 500 people in the temple’s main sanctuary about the importance of not letting the Holocaust fade from memory. The filmmakers said they especially wanted to create something that would engage a younger audience. Prior to the screening, a candlelit procession, with music by harpist Judie Tenenbaum, opened the evening. After the film, the audience was treated to a performance of “Die Schonste Zeit des Lebensaa” (“The Most Beautiful Time of Life”) by pianist Judith Lynn Stillman and violinist Jorge Gardos. This historically significant piece of music was recently discovered in the archives of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum by University of Michigan Prof. Patricia Hall. Composed by three prisoners, it had been performed by the Men’s Prisoner Orchestra to entertain Nazi officers. The piece had not been heard since World War II until a performance in Michigan in late 2018. Originally arranged for the 14 instruments of the prisoner orchestra, it was rearranged by Stillman for the evening’s performance. Later in the evening, Stillman teamed with soprano Anush Avatisyan to perform “When the Music Stopped: A Tapestry of Songs in Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide.” Originally from Armenia, Avatisyan is now at Yale University. The Armenian genocide was an Ottoman Empire campaign of deportation and mass killing that led to the death of 1.5 million Armenians from 1915 to 1917. Stillman also composed and arranged the melody of the

Alice Eichenbaum, of Providence, lights a candle at the beginning of the ceremony. She was in a concentration camp in Bulgaria in during WWII. emotional “Wiegala,” which was performed by the HaZamir Teen Choir. Jewish poet Ilse Weber (1903-1944) wrote “Wiegala” a lullaby she sang to the children in her care, including her own son. When her husband was deported to Auschwitz in 1944, Weber volunteered to join him with their son so as not to break up the family. She and her son were sent to the gas chamber immediately upon arrival. Second-generation Holocaust survivor Lilliane Birch presented the Never Again Award to the sponsors of the bill – now law – to require Holocaust and Genocide studies in Rhode Island schools: Sen. Gayle Goldin, Rep. Katherine Kazarian, Sen. Josh Miller and Former Rep. Aaron Regunberg. Speaking on behalf of the four honorees, Goldin said, “Given the hate and bigotry that has become so common in public discourse today, it seems especially important to educate students about the incredible damage that hate and bigotry have caused.” Cantor Brian Mayer, accompanied by Tenenbaum on harp, chanted the El Malei Rahamim memorial prayer as survivors and their children recited the names of relatives who perished in the Holocaust. Irving Westreich, who escaped the Nazis along with his parents, recited the Mourner’s Kaddish. Cantor Mayer and Stillman presented Rabbi Wayne Franklin, who is retiring from Temple Emanu-El in July, with a music box inscribed with the lyrics of the “Song of the Partisans.” Father John Allard of Providence College gave the closing prayer.

LEV POPLOW is a communications consultant who writes for the Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center, in Providence. He can be reached at levpoplow@gmail.com.

PHOTOS | GLENN OSMUNDSON

Albert Silverstein, of Pawtucket, lights a candle at the beginning of the ceremony. He was transported out of Austria as a young person.

Katsh & Bresler Together Again June 16, 2019 1:00PM – 3:00PM / 275 Camp Street, Providence, RI Katsh & Bresler, legends among lovers of Jewish music for two decades, are now reuniting to benefit the Danielle Bessler Foundation. Online tickets: Eventbrite.com or at the door Call 401-465-0225

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COMMUNITY | SIMCHAS & WE ARE READ

MAZEL TOV – IRMA BLOOM celebrated a surprise 90th birthday brunch on April 28, with four generations of her family. Irma lives in East Greenwich and Boynton Beach, Florida. The party was held at Mare Rooftop in Providence and was hosted by her three children and their spouses. Irma has six grandchildren (one of whom flew in from Germany) and two great-grandsons. Her sister, Charlotte, and family also attended.

MAZEL TOV – MARILYN and JONATHAN GLANTZ, of Cranston, celebrated 31 years of marriage during a February vacation to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. They met at a Jewish singles dance at the Jewish Community Center in 1986. They were married in August 1987.

If we don’t take care of our future, who will? When you create a Jewish legacy, you take an important step toward strengthening Jewish life for generations to come. Planning your gift now will help ensure your children and grandchildren can enjoy the same rich traditions and closeness of community that have given your life so much meaning and purpose.

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JUNE 2019 | 35

WE ARE READ IN ISRAEL – Participating in the recent Temple Beth-El trip to Israel are (left to right) GAIL GALKIN, MARGIE WHITE, DIANE DUCOFF and SUSAN EPSTEIN.

WE ARE READ IN FRANCE – CLIFF STERN of Pawtucket at Utah Beach in Normandy during a family trip to France.

WE ARE READ IN JAPAN – PHILIP M. WEINSTEIN traveled recently to Magome, Japan, and included Jewish Rhode Island on his trip.

MAZEL TOV – Robin and Gary Gersten of Plymouth, Massachusetts, announce the engagement of their daughter, KAYLA RACHEL to PAUL D’AGOSTINO, son of Deborah and Angelo D’Agostino of North Salem, New York. Kayla is a graduate of Roger Williams University and received a Master of Applied Behavior Analysis from Northeastern University in May. She is employed as behavior support specialist at Westchester Jewish Community Services. Paul is a graduate of the State University of New York at Farmingdale and is employed as a superintendent with Westchester Modular. Kayla is the granddaughter of Frances and Barry Levin of Cranston and the late Bertram Gersten, as well as Harriet Traugott of Providence and the late Peter Traugott. Paul is the grandson of Warren Groner of North Salem, New York, as well as the late Rosemarie Groner and the late Josephine and Nicholas D’Agostino. An October wedding is planned on Long Beach Island, New Jersey.

WE ARE READ IN ISRAEL — RENEE KAMINITZ (Left) and SUE MAYES (center) – both from Middletown – with BARBARA GOLDSTEIN, deputy director of Hadassah’s Office in Israel at the Abell Synagogue at Hadassah’s Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem. Sue is president of Hadassah Rhode Island. They were on the Hadassah Yom Ha’Atzmaut Mission to Israel.

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